


Around the Corner

by thejinichan



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, My First AO3 Post, My First Work in This Fandom, POV Female Character, Post-Pacifist Route, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader-Insert, Shy Sans, Slow Build, Spoilers - Undertale Pacifist Route, reader is female
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-12
Updated: 2016-06-13
Packaged: 2018-05-19 20:19:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5979823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thejinichan/pseuds/thejinichan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You work in a convenient store, in a town beside Mount Ebott and it's been a few months since the barrier had broken. People are still a little scared and don't know what to think of their new neighbours, the monsters.<br/>Things were relatively quiet until one day a pair of Skeletons begin visiting you during the night shift. You slowly become friends, and find yourself crushing on one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Word searches

**Author's Note:**

> Ok guys, this is the first fanfic I have written in a few years, and also the first one I’ve ever put online. What can I say? I Just felt inspired by Undertale, and many of the amazingly talented fanfiction writers out there :3  
> If you like what you're reading, feel free to make your way over to www.thejinichan.timblr.com. where I dump all my Undertale art. There will also be art to this particular story there too.  
> I also want to thank my good friend Rosie for helping me edit this, and for her advice as well. You rock Rosie Toast!!

 

 

You found yourself glancing over at the clock yet again. Still two hours left on your shift before you could close up shop. The clock wasn’t going to tick any faster, no matter how many times you checked it. At this rate, you were sure that time was shifting backwards. 

You groaned and slid down further into the stool that you had stashed behind the counter. The evenings at Jiffy Mart, the convenient store your parents owned, were always dead. You had agreed to work the late shift because it meant getting the weekends off, which was too tempting to pass up. Your mom and dad covered the mornings and weekends, while your friend Sykes worked the afternoons. Between 9 and 11 pm, apart the random groups of teenagers looking to get their candy fix, Jiffy Mart stood silent. 

While most of your friends had moved away to start school and their careers, you had opted on eventually taking over the family business. When your parents approached you and your older brother on the proposition, you jumped on it. You were a homebody, and your brother wished to break from the confines of your hometown. In the end, it worked out great and your parents were happy they wouldn’t have to sell their livelihood. In a few years, when your mom and dad retired, Jiffy Mart would be all yours. 

You loved your little town that lay under the Shadow of Mount Ebott. It was relatively quiet until one day a few months back the folklore that surrounded the mountain was proven true. Monsters were actually real, and when the barrier on Mount Ebott had broken, they vacated the underground to live on the surface. 

Everyone was pretty shocked, and still were, at the sight of monster folk. You had seen on TV that there was a child called Frisk who was working on stabilizing the broken relationship between human and monster kind. While conditions were improving, many were still afraid, and tried to keep their distance. There were even a few reports of Monsters being harassed in public. You hated the way some people acted, and were happy that you and your parents were not included in this lot. 

In fact, your father being the businessman he was, saw this as an opportunity to attract new clientele. He asked his staff to make every monster that walked through the door feel as welcome as possible. He had even allowed a bunny type Monster named Nice to set up his ice cream cart in the store parking lot during the day. It ended up being a hit and brought a lot of Monsters down to the Jiffy Mart.  

The Nice cream guy had left now though; the day was long past and the convenience store stood silent and shrouded in the darkness. All the while you sat there alone, in the brightly lit store, leaning on your stool so its front legs were lifted from the floor. 

You reached over the counter, between the cash register and ticket booth, and pulled out a beat up word search puzzle book and pen. You nibbled on the end of the pen and stared intently at the mixed up text, looking for an answer. This was your way to pass the time when you got bored and there was no work left on the floor. 

 

“HUMAN!!!” 

 

You heard a loud, but cheerful male voice.You bounced up from your seat, almost throwing the word search book in the process. The pen, however, slipped from your hands, rolled off the counter, and onto the floor. You stared down at your lost pen, and then up, and then down again.  

Standing before you were two skeletons. There was a very tall one, dressed in a red scarf and boots, who was grinning  widely at you. The other was much shorter, just a bit shorter than yourself. He stood there, swimming in a giant blue hoodie trimmed with white fluff at the collar. The smaller skeleton pulled a hand out of his front pocket to retrieve your dropped pen. He had a sly smirk on his face and gazed at you with white pupils from within his black eye sockets. He raised a brow at you and set the pen down on the counter gently, his skeletal fingers clicking against the surface as he did so.  

 “I believe you dropped this,” He said with an amused expression. “And what’s the matter kid? Never seen a walking, talking real live skeleton before?” 

 To your horror you realized you were still gaping at the sight of the two. You were feeling pretty embarrassed now. That was no way to greet two new customers.  

 “A-actually, no, I haven’t but there’s a first time for everything?” You giggled awkwardly and set your word search down beside the pen. He seemed to like your response and let out a small chuckle. Feeling a bit encouraged you cheerfully greeted them, “Welcome to the Jiffy Mart! I apologize, I didn’t see you guys come in...er, the evenings can be pretty dead here.” 

 “Human! Might my brother and I peruse your goods?” The taller one inquired. 

 You nodded at them with a smile, “Yes, yes, take your time.” 

 He screeched with delight and practically skipped to the first aisle, grabbing a basket along the way.  

 The smaller one pointed over at his brother and winked at you. “We may be a while, heh, my brother, Papyrus, can get pretty carried away when he gets to the spaghetti section. You could say it’s a part of his daily **rotini**!”  He laughed. 

 You found yourself giggling at his little pun. These guys seemed pretty cool. 

 “Saaaaaaans!!!” Papyrus yelled from over in aisle one, “there will be none of your puns with the nice human! Now get over here and help me find some noodles, you lazybones!” 

 You yelled over to Papyrus, “try aisle 3!” 

 “Heh, thanks kid,” Sans told you as he wandered over too help his brother gather their groceries. 

 You found you couldn’t help but watch the pair while they shopped. As Papyrus made his way through the aisles, his head bobbed up over the top of the shelves with every step he took. You could hear them both laughing, and at one point heard a huge crash as some cans were knocked to the floor. You winced, but heard them both shuffling around in the aisle as they retrieved the fallen merchandise. 

 Soon the skeletons were back at the checkout and their basket was clearly overflowing. Papyrus helped you empty out its contents and you began to scan their purchases. There were a few cans of pasta sauce, some noodles (of course), some chips, soda, and numerous, bottles of ketchup. 

 “So I see you guys like your spaghetti? And ketchup too...” You asked them. 

 “I don’t like spaghetti, human, I LOVE IT!” Papyrus declared with a bony hand placed on his hip, “and I, the great Papyrus, happen to be a master chef, Nyeh, heh!” 

 Sans shrugged at you and pulled out a wallet from his back pocket. “Ketchup is all me, chum. Best drink ever.” 

 “Wait, so...you drink Ketchup...?” You stammered.  

 “Yeah, I do,” Sans smirked at you, “You should try it sometime, it’s pretty good.” 

 You finished ringing up their order and placed their selections into some heavy plastic bags. 

 “So your total comes to 33.90, guys.” You told them. 

 Sans reached into his wallet and paid you while Papyrus happily grabbed the bags off the counter. As you gave him his change Sans glanced over at word search you had been working on and he picked it up. “You like word searches?” He asked.  

 When Papyrus heard this he almost dropped the bags in surprise. “Human, you, you like puzzles??” Papyrus asked with a giant grin spreading across his face. “My brother and I are PUZZLE FANATICS! Surely our meeting was meant to happen!!” 

 You suddenly felt a little shy and started twirling some of your hair between your fingers, "I, uh, it’s just something I do to pass the time, when it’s quiet. You told them. “But I'd rather it be busy, my shift goes by much faster that way.” 

 Sans returned his hands to the confines of his blue hoodie and closed his eyes, “So you must get a skele **ton** of them done right?” He joked, “You know, since no one comes in.” 

 You found yourself roaring with laughter at Sans' lame joke. Before you could say something though, Papyrus had cut you off. 

 SAAAAAAANS! NO PUNS, please, it’s late.” His brother sighed, clearly annoyed at this point. 

 “Ah it’s ok.” You told them. “I love jokes, and, feel free to pun away! Thanks for Shopping at Jiffy Mart and have a great night!” 

 “We will indeed, human..er..” Papyrus stopped mid-sentence and paused to read your name tag that was pinned to your apron. “We will return soon ."

 The skeletons turned to leave, and Sans glanced in your direction while holding the door open as his brother bounded out the entrance. 

 “It was cool meeting you kid, and umm, you’ll definitely see us again,” he remarked. “We actually just moved into the apartment complex around the corner from here, so, yeah, now you won’t be so **bonely** during the night shift. And you, won’t be stuck doing those word searches all the time.” 

 “That would be a nice change” You said warmly. “It’ll be nice not being so l,- **bonely** at night. I pretty much work the late shift all week.” 

 "Awesome!, welp, see ya!" Sans waved at you and then stepped out into the darkness. 

 You rested your elbows on the counter and watched their silhouettes disappear into the night. What a pair those two Monsters were, they really had turned your boring evening around for the better. Especially Sans, he was just really funny, and, you couldn't help but think he was a little cute. Wait, what were you even thinking? They were _monsters_ after all, just two nice monster customers, who came in and bought their groceries. Still, you secretly hoped they would return tomorrow night. 

 One thing you knew, though, was that you couldn't wait to tell your best friend Sykes about these two skeletons. He would definitely want to meet them sometime, you were sure. 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. The Coolest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You are really excited to tell your best friend Sykes all about your encounter with the skeleton brothers the night before. Will they visit you at work today?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the 2nd chapter guys ^_^ Hope you enjoy.  
> I'm going to start posting more concept art for this ficcy over at my tumblr, www.thejinichan.tumblr.com  
> Slowly trying to ease myself back into the writing game, it's coming back the more I work on this story.  
> From now on I am going to be updating this fic on every thursday unless I am stuck working late, then it will be friday instead. So next chapter will be up on Feb 25th.

It was just a few minutes before 2pm when you casually strolled into work the next day. The cash counter stood empty and Sykes was leaned over a mop, cleaning up a spill next to the coolers. It was dark and bubbly and had a sweet smell to it. It was pretty obvious as to what the liquid was. 

Hearing you walk in, Sykes turned in your direction and pushed up his glasses which were now sliding down his nose. He was obviously annoyed at the source of whatever had caused the spill on the floor. Even so he seemed grateful at the sight of a familiar face. “Hey ,” He groaned.  

You wrapped an arm around him, resting your head upon his shoulder. “Looks like you're having a good day so far.” You teased him. 

Sykes gave you a bemused expression, and tried his best to hide his frustration. “Yeah, you could say that, until this kid decided to throw a massive tantrum over a pop his Mom refused to buy. And guess what that little shit did next? He slammed it right into the floor and screamed bloody murder. And, of course, it exploded.” He ranted.

“Awww, cheer up Sykes.” You patted him on the back sympathetically."Your day is about to get better now that I'm here to take over. Oh and by the way...you missed a spot there". You laughed, pointing to the floor. Sykes stuck his tongue out in protest and lazily dragged the mop towards  the spot you mentioned. 

You leaned up against the pop cooler while you chatted with your best friend. "Something pretty cool happened last night." 

"Ohhhhh really, now?" He replied curiously, "do tell" 

 As Sykes finished mopping up the tarry mess and you excitedly told him all about your encounter with the skeleton brothers the night before. You made sure not to leave out any details.  

 “Dude, so like skeletons, human skeletons?” He asked with a glint in his eyes, behind his blue glasses. 

“They were the real thing,” You went on. “I don’t think they're human skeletons though...just some different type of monsters?” You had seen monsters of all kinds over the past few months.  

 Sykes seemed fascinated with the thought of the two .“Well they sound awesome, I hope I run into them sometime. You always end up getting the fun customers! I get stuck with, like, whiny kids and grouchy old people.”  

 “I’m hoping they come back tonight.” You confided to him, “Sans is-" 

“So funny, yeah I get it.” Sykes rolled his eyes. "That’s, like, the 3rd time you’ve told me that!” 

 You crossed your arms and blushed a bit. “I’m, sorry...I know I have a bad habit of repeating myself. But I can't help it...that’s seriously, the most interesting thing to happen to me all week.” 

A handful of people filtered into the store just then and you quickly wrapped up your conversation with your best friend. Sykes dealt with the customers, while you took care of things in the stockroom and office. This was usually how the days went since there was always paperwork to be done and orders to be filled. You were technically going to be the boss one day, after all. Though the two of you tended to goof off, you both knew when it was time to get work done. Your dad called it “being team players."

At the end of Sykes' shift you ventured out from the stockroom to find him facing some prod uct at the front of the store.  Only a few bottles of ketchup had survived  Sans ' raid the night before so Sykes shifted it over with mustard to give it the illusion of being full.

“Man you weren’t kidding about that skeleton having a love affair with ketchup.” He laughed. “That shelf was jam packed a few days ago.” 

"Must you abandon me?” You pleaded with him, hands folded and giving him your best puppy dog eyes, “I’m gonna be so **bonely** now.” 

Sykes did his best to hide a muffled laugh, knowing the origin of your joke. "You might want to work on finding your own material; something tells me it's a helluva lot funnier coming from that skeleton dude." 

 Hands on your hips, you continued to press your best friend, “You know you don't have to go....stay and keep me company!” 

Sykes looked a little guilty, and hugged you knowing how lonely you could get during the late shift. “Not a chance,” he smirked, "I'll see ya tomorrow but text me later mmk?" 

 After Sykes left at 4 it was usually a flurry of customers coming in and out of the store. Most people were just getting off work at this time and your day had barely begun. You listened to their reasons for stopping in, a forgotten item from the grocery store, or a treat for their child. Your conversations were usually based on their purchases, and hardly changed. You found yourself once again thinking of the monsters you had met the night before and wondered if they may stop by again. If anything their visit would break up the monotony of a typical day. 

 Sometime later the Nice Cream guy came in and picked up a few things, having closed up his cart for the day. Nice worked all week since there was always a steady flow of children in the neighborhood. They happened to be his best customers since older people tended to look the other way seeing him conduct business. Your father had asked him if anyone had given him trouble, and luckily no one had yet. But you knew the scornful looks and whispers he received hurt just the same. Nonetheless, he kept his cheerful and sunny disposition. People could learn a thing or two from the Ice cream vendor.

It turned out to be a busy evening and the hours ticked by quickly. You kept yourself occupied between customers by filling the pop cooler and sneaking in the occasional word search or text. Before you realized it was already after 10 , and you heard two familiar voices from just outside the store. You popped your head up from behind the ticket booth, waving at the skeleton brothers when they entered.

“Welcome back guys!”  

 Sans raised a hand from his pocket and gave you a small, lazy wave. Papyrus immediately dashed up to the counter where you stood with an animated expression in his eye sockets. 

 “Human! I know we are back here so soon after our first meeting, but I realized we were missing a rather important ingredient from our order last night!” Papyrus explained to you. “It was-er... 

“-Romano cheese,” Sans reminded him, “spaghetti just ain’t the same without it.” 

 “Awww, I’m sorry guys, um, we don’t actually carry Romano cheese. But there is some sprinkle Parmesan cheese over in aisle 4.” You said apologetically while leaning over the counter a bit.  

“Ah, that is truly marvelous human!” Papyrus cheered and he made his way down to the aisle you had sent him too. 

 You then directed your attention to Sans, who was leaning against the ticket booth beside you, waiting for his brother. 

 "So,..uh..how are you two doing tonight?” You asked him while playing with your name tag. 

 “Well Paps is feeling pretty **cheezy** , and I feel **grate**!” He joked at you. 

 You burst into laughter at his remark. Sans really seemed to know exactly what to say at the right time. Ringing through their last minute selection, you listened to Papyrus mull over his latest culinary creation. Turned out he was getting cooking lessons from a fellow monster friend named Undyne. She had recently moved away with her girlfriend, though, and he was now being taught over Skype. 

“The human internet is truly amazing!” Papyrus declared, “Undyne is right there, on the laptop screen, and I can talk to her as if she was right there beside me.” 

 “Yeah Skype rocks,” You replied handing Papyrus his bag, “I use it to talk to my friends sometimes.” You couldn’t help but love the enthusiasm that Papyrus seemed to have for everything he came across. It was like seeing the world through a different set of eyes. 

 “Once I have perfected this new recipe, human you should join my brother and I for dinner. You will surely not be able to resist the cooking of Master chef Papyrus!” He boasted with his hand grasping his chin.

“I, uh, would love that! That’s so nice of you to offer Papyrus! ” You thanked him with a courteous smile, overwhelmed with the kindness he had shown. The thought of hanging out with these monsters filled you with anticipation. You really hoped he had meant it. 

 “Sounds good! Until next time then, nyeh heh.” He cackled, bag in hand, and bounded out of the store. He didn’t even stay to hear you say “Thanks for shopping at Jiffy Mart.” He was going to be busy in the kitchen tonight, you thought. 

“Paps tends to go on ahead of me when he’s excited,” Sans raised his shoulders up and glanced at you. "My brother is pretty cool huh?” 

 “Yes,” You giggled, “your brother is simply the coolest.” 

Sans pulled his hands out of his pockets and began to fumble them, a nervous look was plastered on his face. For a brief moment the little skeleton seemed sad. “Thanks, um, for being so nice to Paps. Not all the humans we have come across so far have been as kind as you are to him...and, uh...to me too.” Sans paused and nodded at you thoughtfully, stuffing his bony hands back into his hoodie. You swore you saw a sweat drop rolling down the top of his skull but couldn’t be sure. “Well, umm, kid, **tibia** honest I need to **ketchup** with Paps now.” Sans smirked “He won’t find it.... **humerus** if I don’t hurry up.” 

 You shook your head at his cute, but awkward, attempt to change the subject. “Three jokes in one sentence? Come on now, Sans!” You giggled. 

He raised his brow at you, “you did tell me yesterday to pun away, did you not, kid? I wanted to see if you meant it or not.” 

 Sans stopped abruptly at the door before leaving. His cheeks were tinged blue and for some reason he was trying to avoid eye contact. You gave him a puzzled expression as he struggled to find words to say.

“For what it’s worth kid,..er... your pretty cool yourself too.” 

 Sans didn’t give you a chance to answer, before you could blink he had vanished. How could he be so fast? But to be fair, you were distracted; you were still trying to process the fact that he had complimented you. He said you were cool, and not only that, but he said you were cool like his brother.  Was he trying to flirt? If he was it was the most timid attempt at flirting you had ever received. Even so, it was adorable, and you hoped it wasn’t a one-time deal. With your mind still buzzing over the moment you had just shared with Sans, you propped yourself up on the stool and began to text Sykes. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't picture Sans being very good at flirting hehe, so I'm trying my best to convey him as being super shy about fluffy stuff with Reader. What do you guys think? :D  
> I also want to thank everyone who has commented, left a kudos or bookmarked my fic. It really means a tonne! Thanks guys really :3 you are all awesome!


	3. So Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a few days since Sans and Papyrus had visited you last at Jiffy Mart but you tried to keep yourself busy in the meantime. When would they show up again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!  
> I know this is a day late and I apologize, Just a lot of RL stuff at the moment. I ended up taking some time off work in the meantime to deal with things. It's slowly getting back to normal though. Thanks for being patient and sticking with me! ^_^ I also want to give a shout out again to my dear friend Rosie for helping me through all this and with my edits and such. You are the best! n_n  
> I'll be posting some art this week on my tumblr too www.thejinichan.com if you want to come and have a looksie >_>'

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of the week flew by without any sign of Sans or Papyrus. While disheartened, you figured it was best not to get your hopes up. There were other stores in town, so it wasn't like they had to exclusively shop at Jiffy Mart. 

Luckily you found yourself distracted on the weekend, since you and Sykes were in the middle of painting your new home. You had only purchased the small bungalow a month before and you were trying to make it feel more like home. As a gift, your Father had put up a swing on your wrap-around porch since you loved reading so much. Although the weather lately had prevented you from doing that. There had been a lot of downpours lately, and it left an awful lingering cold in the air. 

Sykes had came over early Saturday with a case of beer for himself and a bottle of your favorite rum. "Hope your ready for this shit show of a makeover!" He had laughed upon his entry. Over the past few weeks Sykes had been helping you settle into your new home, from moving around your furniture to setting up your flat screen TV with your PS4. You couldn't thank him enough but he just chuckled and told you it was prepayment for all the times he would probably be crashing on your couch. What would you do without him? 

The two of you painted and goofed off most of the weekend, only stopping to eat or play video games. Being so busy took your mind off the skeleton brothers, it was a welcome distraction. By Sunday evening with the painting done, you ordered celebratory Chinese food and finished off your gift of rum with Sykes' help. By the time he left, well after midnight you stumbled into bed a little buzzed and set your alarm a little later than usual. You would still make it to work on time, and after all the hard work you put in this weekend, you deserved a good night’s sleep. 

You woke late Monday morning to see a crack of sunlight peeking from behind the heavy curtains in your bedroom. It was nearly blinding when you drew them aside but you opened up the window and took a deep breath. After all the rain and cold, the sunshine felt amazing. It seemed nicer weather was finally on its way. 

You had a quick lunch of the Chinese food from the night before, and threw on one of your favorite t-shirts and leggings. You finished your ensemble with the ankle boots you had recently bought. You paused to check your reflection in the mirror on your bedroom door. Tossing your hair behind your shoulders, you waved your head back and forth. “As good as it’s gonna get,” you murmured to yourself. Grabbing your purse and slinging it over your shoulder, you headed out the front door. 

When you got to the store, you shot Sykes a quick wave (he was busy with a customer) and made your way to the office in the back room. Upon opening the door you let out a long sigh, shocked at the sight of the huge pile of papers on top of the desk. _This couldn't be good,_ you thought. There was a note fixed neatly with tape on top the stack; in your mother’s handwriting: 

 _“Hey sweetie, I ran out of time this morning but I was hoping you could finish up the inventory in the back room today. Sykes has agreed to stay late while you do so. Thanks_ _hun_ _, I’ll make it up to you pumpkin I swear._  

 _-Mom_  

 _P.S. I left some money under the clipboard for you guys to order a pizza, I’ll call later, have a good night.”_  

You flipped through the thick stack of paper, groaned, and then pressed the clipboard into your forehead. This was going to take a few hours, at least. As much as you hated doing the inventory, it meant Sykes got to stay longer with you. Plus you could never say no to free pizza. 

You poked your head out from the stock room and waved the clipboard at Sykes while he was busy stocking a shelf. “Did you know about this tyranny?” You questioned him, “the old lady even blackmailed me with Pizza!” 

“Maaaaaaaaaybe!” Sykes said coyly. 

 You chuckled lightly before taking a serious tone again, “I’ll try and get these counts done as soon as I can okay?" You flashed Sykes a quick thumbs up before returning to the stockroom. 

A few hours passed by as you shuffled around the shelves moving boxes of product around. Thankfully, the overstock in the back was organized; your father prided himself with this. You would be sure to follow his practices once you were in charge. Once you finished tallying everything up, you faxed off the inventory to your supplier and filed the papers away. When you returned to the front to see what Sykes was up to it was only an hour after his shift was supposed to end. Even so he stayed behind to have the pizza with you that had been promised. You kept it hidden behind the counter and the two of you took turns serving customers between mouthfuls. The smell was rather obvious but nobody ever complained, so what was the harm in it? 

“So I bet you 're hoping a certain monster is gonna show up, eh?” Sykes teased you while balancing off his register for the day. 

“Shut up, Sykes!” You stammered, sticking your tongue out at him. You then shook your head in defeat. “Ok...maybe, a bit,” you confessed, “It has been a few days...” 

He patted you on the back lightly, “I got a good feeling about tonight,.” Sykes told you. “I bet he’ll show up and something awesome will happen!” 

You responded with an awkward smile. Ever since you were kids he teased you about your various crushes and you still got flustered every time he did so. 

The rest of the night passed by uneventfully and, to your dismay, without the skeleton brothers yet again. It had almost been a week since you had last seen them. As the clock struck eleven you sighed and began to close the store. You grabbed your purse and made your way to the front door, keys in hand to lock it.  

Sans suddenly appeared in front of the entrance and tapped on the glass, and you jumped back startled by his abrupt arrival. You slowly opened the door with a curious yet happy expression, and he shuffled inside giving you his signature grin. Normally serving customers at the end of the night could be a nuisance since you wanted to return home as quickly as possible. But you were elated that Sans had shown up, even if it was at the last minute.  

“You do know the store is closed now, right?” You asked him with an eyebrow playfully raised. 

“Yeah, I kinda figured kiddo." He chuckled, leaning in closer to you with a hand behind his skull. “I, uh, lost track of time watching a movie with Paps and went to grab a bottle of ketchup from the fridge and realized...I was out, thought I could make it here before you left...” 

“How could you have possibly gone through that much ketchup in less than a week, Sans?” You snickered and sighed at the small skeleton. “Wait here a sec,” you told him before going off to grab him a bottle of ketchup. “Will this get you through the night?” You teased, handing it to him. 

Sans eagerly accepted your gift, “that’ll have to do, thanks kid. Uh, just start up a tab for me, ok?” 

You gestured towards the door with your keys, “no problem, but, umm we really have to go now. I need to set the alarm.”  

“That reminds me of a story I know, chum! Once, **alarm** a time...” Sans couldn’t finish the sentence, choking back a laugh with his hand seeing that you were doing the same. You instructed Sans between fits of giggles not to move while you attempted to punch the pass code on the keypad. He smirked at your request and posed dramatically while standing on one foot, with his hands out in the air. You could no longer contain your laughter, and a deep belly laugh escaped from your mouth and you snorted. With fingers still trembling from your outburst, you finally managed to punch the code in. 

The cold breeze that enveloped your body upon stepping outside surprised you, considering the warm weather this morning. How could you have been so careless? You didn't even think to bring a jacket even though it had been raining so much lately. And now you stood there beside Sans, trembling from the chilly air and feeling a little childish for doing so. 

Sans noticed you were shivering pretty hard, and without hesitating he shrugged off the zip-up hoodie he always wore and handed it to you with a bony hand. “You,...look like you could use this for your walk home.” He mumbled, kicking at the ground a bit.  

As cold as you were, you felt your face heat up from Sans' kind gesture. You froze for a moment but accepted his offer. You shrugged the hoodie up over your shoulders and pushed up the fluffy trim close to your ears. It was super comfy, and you breathed in his scent. “T-thank you,” you softly said. “But wait, won’t you freeze now?” 

He was only wearing a white t-shirt underneath his hoodie, and the fact that he was a skeleton was even more evident now that his bony arms were uncovered, you wondered how he couldn’t be freezing.  

“Nah I’m all good,” he assured you, “I only wear that cuz it’s comfy, the cold never really bothered me, but you, kiddo, looked chilled to the **bone**.” 

The lights in front of Jiffy Mart had now gone out, as they always did a few minutes after the alarm was set. With nothing but the darkness of the night surrounding you both, Sans began to make his way down the parking lot. He glanced over at you a bit confused as to why you just stood there, still feeling a little lost from his act of kindness. 

“Uhhh are you just going to stand there?” Sans asked with a brow raised, looking over his shoulder. “Come on, kid, I’ll walk you home.” 

You quickly snapped out of your daze and caught up with him. Sykes was right, it had turned out to be a good night, and now you were alone with Sans, wearing his sweater and walking down the street to your house. 

As you left Jiffy Mart, you found out the apartment that he and Papyrus shared was on the way to your place. You asked him where Paps was tonight and Sans told you he fell asleep on the couch while they were watching the movie he mentioned earlier. _So adorable_ , you thought. 

The two of you continued down the street in silence, and you struggled to think of something to say to break it. “Uh Sans?” You finally said, quietly. 

The pupils in his eye sockets shone like little pinpricks in the dark at the mention of his name. He clutched the bottle of ketchup since he lacked pockets for his hands and you were currently wearing his hoodie. “What’s up?” He replied. 

“H-how are you able to appear...and disappear like you did tonight, and last week?” You stumbled over your words, trying not to sound stupid for asking. 

“Oh that?” He remarked. “Let’s just say I know some short cuts...I guess you could call it teleportation? It’s just something I could always do..” 

You noted that many monsters had magical abilities, though the fact that Sans could go where he wanted to, instantly and at will, amazed you.  

Sans saw the bewildered expression on you face and stopped walking, instantly dropping his head to stare at the pavement. He was clenching his fists. “Does it frighten you? I, uh, try not to do it so much now since most people get freaked out...” He muttered under his breath. 

You bit your lip, realizing that Sans had read you the wrong way. Not knowing if you were being too forward, you placed a hand on Sans’ back, feeling his shoulder bones on your fingertips. He felt warm to the touch even though he had no skin.  “You don’t frighten me,” you reassured him. 

Sans just stood there wide eyed, a familiar shade of blue crept its way up his cheekbones. He relaxed his arms and leaned into your touch. “That’s good to know, kid,” He told you smiling once more, “it’s nice to know not all people on the surface are afraid of something new.” 

You and Sans shared a tender smile, and then suddenly you realized you still had your hand on his shoulder while doing so. You both jumped apart a bit and laughed awkwardly. You blushed hotly the rest of the walk home, which thankfully was only a few minutes away now.You were certain you were doing a bad job of hiding your reddened  cheeks at this point. 

As you and Sans made your way up the driveway, he perked up at the sight of your humble home. You plopped down onto the porch steps and motioned to Sans to come and join you. 

“Nice place!” he exclaimed, looking at your house in awe, “almost as nice as my old place in **Snowdin** **.** ” 

“Your home in the underground?”  

“Yup, that’s it!” He perked up at the mention of it, “It’s called **Snowdin**.” 

“Rrrrreally?” You said incredulously, “ **Snowed in**?” 

“Yeah kiddo, **Snowdin** **!** ” He chuckled, “the hotel there was called **Snowed Inn,** though.” 

With this remark you found yourself laughing in unison with the small skeleton. He told you all about the sleepy little village that he and Papyrus once called home. They had their own house, rather than an apartment, and the Christmas lights stayed up year-round. He talked enthusiastically about a tavern called Grillby’s and his job as a sentry. 

“It sounds like a really wonderful place!” You told him. “I’d love to see it.” 

Sans glanced down at his sneakers when you said this. He suddenly seemed a little shy again, as he was the night before. “M-maybe, if you wanted to that is...Paps and I could show you around sometime?” Sans was rolling the bottle of ketchup in his hands now. 

It was evident that the skeleton sitting beside you on the steps was quite flustered. You smiled warmly at him and touched his arm lightly. “I would like that Sans. I umm, really enjoy hanging with you and your brother.” 

The skeleton choked back a gulp, “We do too kid...it’s been **ice** getting to know you.” 

You decided not to push forward anymore for tonight, as you weren’t sure how much more flirting the little skeleton could handle. You took off his hoodie and handed it back to him. “Thanks for lending this to me, and for walking me home, Sans.” 

He raised the bottle you had given him earlier, “Thanks for this kiddo.” 

Sans then shimmied back into his hoodie and you said your goodbyes. Without trying to be sneaky he winked at you from the bottom of the steps and vanished into thin air. You weren’t sure you would ever get used to seeing him do that, but you took comfort in the fact that he wasn’t afraid to use his magic in your presence. 

You sauntered into your house and kicked off your boots, throwing your keys and purse onto the entry table beside the closet. You backed up into the door and slid down until your bottom hit the floor with a soft thud. 

Did that really just happen? It did, you got to hang out with Sans! Just Sans alone, and you got to wear his sweater. You missed the feel of it already and hugged your knees close to your chest, trying to remember how it felt. That night when you crawled into bed, you fell asleep lost in thoughts of your new friend, and how you wished that one day, maybe, the two of you would become more than that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. much. fluff. I can't even..hehe. Moments like this give me life. Can never have enough of the fluffy bits. I wanted to try and establish a connection between Reader and Sans here, even if it's small. I just want to keep things simple. There is lot's more to come though despite the slow start I assure you!  
> I can't say exactly what day I will update with Chapter 4 but it will be up for sure before the end of next week guys :3  
> Thanks for reading so far! ;3 Mwah!


	4. Call Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Papyrus have another reason for visiting you tonight besides getting groceries. Their timing for walking in though could have been better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm updating a day early this week! *throws confetti* Since I was a day late last week, it seemed fitting to have this out earlier.  
> I find the more I write, the easier it is to get the story down in the end. As the chapters go by I'm getting more excited for the end result :)  
> Visit my tumblr if you like www.thejinichan.tumblr.com for more undertale stuff. I'll be posting art to this fic in due time. :)

“Excuse me where can I find the bread?” 

You glanced down at the snub nosed middle aged lady from the top of a ladder. She was tapping a low heel on the floor and looked rather impatient. “You’d been busy stocking shelves that evening, and that tended to annoy some people. But this was a typical question you could answer without even thinking about it .You smiled politely at the lady and pointed, “Just down the next aisle on the left side, just as you enter.” 

You heard a commotion at the front of the store, and you and the lady turned your heads to see what was going on. It was the skeleton brothers to your delight. Papyrus was struggling to pull a cart out of the corral. With Sans’ help finally, they managed to yank one out. 

“Hey Guys!!” You cheerfully called out with an arm stretched out in a wave. They had visited a few times that week after the night Sans had walked you home and according to Sykes that made them bona fide regulars. They always had an excuse for coming in, be it they were out of pop or something else. Whatever the reason, you were just thrilled to see them. Your evenings at work had changed for the better.

The old woman raised her eyebrows at you with a somewhat disgusted look on her face as Sans and Papyrus made their way towards you. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why this store continues to serve those  underground freaks,"she hissed , “ They should go back where they belong .”

You became very annoyed with the narrow minded old woman and her hurtful comments that obviously, were directed towards your monster friends. It was not to be tolerated and you angrily gripped the sides of the ladder, staring her down, “Well then, maybe you should just find somewhere else to do your shopping?” 

“I can’t believe you young lady!” She shouted, shakily pointing one of her fingers at you. “This used to be such a nice place to shop!” 

“Yeah it was…” you chimed, “until people like you began to show up.”  

“Your father is going to hear about this young lady!” She fumed at you, furiously. She had had enough of your attitude at this point and she slammed the basket containing her purchases onto the floor. You heard the distinct sound of eggs cracking, and watched as the milk began to pool out from the edges of the carton. “I’ll never come here again!” The woman hollered stepping over the thrown basket, and she stomped out of the store hurling the door shut in the process. The vibration of the slammed door caused the welcome sign to clang to the ground.  

“Hey, pal!” You heard Sans from behind, “Is everything ok? Did that lady have a **bone** to pick with you or somethin?" Even through his pun Sans sounded weary. Papyrus was clutching the handle of the cart tightly and giving you a look of genuine concern. 

You turned around and climbed down the ladder, still feeling a little wound up from the brief confrontation with the customer. You bit your lip realizing they witnessed the whole thing. “Y-yeah everything is all good guys.” You assured them while brushing off some dust that had accumulated on your hands. “We just had a disagreement about something that’s all, no big deal.” You glanced down at the mess of product on the floor and sighed. “I’ll be right back guys, gotta get the mop.” 

When you returned, mop in hand, Sans was holding a garbage bag open as Papyrus began dumping the mess into it. “Found this under the counter over there.” He said shaking the bag a bit. 

“That. Human.” Papyrus punctuated, “Was truly villainous to have done this to my friend. If she ever returns you will tell me, yes? And I, the great Papyrus, will defend your honour and that of the Jiffy Mart!”  

You bent down to help Papyrus pick up what was left, trying to avoid the oozy parts of the egg carton. You smiled at him warmly. “Aww thanks Paps, though I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that... I’m, uh, pretty sure she won’t be shopping here anymore.” You paused, not wanting to reveal the reason, even though he had heard the things the woman said. You cringed at the thought, knowing you were going to hear about it later anyways from your parents. 

Sans tied the bag shut, all that was left was the remaining mess of eggs and milk. They had somehow melded together and what was left on the floor took on the appearance of an abstract painting. You quickly wiped it away with the mop, only wanting to forget that it had even happened. 

“Well since the milk’s cleaned up no use cryin’ over it, right bro?” Sans patted Papyrus on the back and had to stand on his tip toes to do so.  

“That got cleaned up **eggcellently** with your help guys, thanks.” You joked, joining in on Sans’ attempt to lighten the situation. 

“I always.... **fry** to help a friend in need, nyeh,” Papyrus quipped, joining the banter, and you all laughed.  

“So uh, wow, ummm, is there anything I can do for you guys today?” You asked them finally, now that everything had been tidied up. 

Papyrus' expression immediately lit up when you asked this. “Why yes, my human friend!” You loved how you weren’t just a random human now; that he had attached the word friend to it. 

Papyrus glanced over at his brother and then back to you. “Actually, I was wondering if you may help me with our selections tonight? Because this Saturday, human, you are invited to our abode, for dinner maaade by myself, of course!!” He cackled. “A dear friend of ours, Mettaton is making his TV Debut on the surface!” We are going to have the most splendid of celebrations in his honor, nyeh heh.!”  

You were shocked that they knew Mettaton, the most well-known of the Monsters, a robot that had climbed to fame on the surface very rapidly. You had seen him on talk shows and music videos over the past few months. “Sure, Paps! I’ll help you, and..I would love to..have dinner with you guys.” You shyly said. He had finally made true on his offer. 

Sans lifted the bag of garbage off the floor, and gave it a shake. “Go wild guys, I’m, uh, gonna get rid of this.” 

“It goes out back,” You told him. "I don’t m-" 

Upon hearing you say this Sans vanished right on the spot, garbage in hand. 

Paps shook his head playfully. “Sans is such a lazybones! He never bothers to use the door at home, and he can’t even do so here..."He trailed off for a moment, sounding mildly annoyed, but then grinned widely taking your hand. “Let’s get started shall we? You, my human friend have no idea what your taste buds are in for this Saturday!” 

Papyrus began tossing various ingredients into the tiny cart, while you followed him  through the modest selection of goods. He picked up some flour, cheese, croutons, salt, garlic, tomatoes, and the list went on. You continued to push the cart and wondered just what exactly he was planning on making. Probably spaghetti? You chuckled to yourself at the thought. When you both made your way back up to the cash counter, Sans was leaning against the counter and had your word search book in his hands. At the sight of your return he hastily slid it back into it’s hiding place. His face was that familiar shade of blue again. Just what was he up too? 

After you had rung them through, you thanked the two of them for the invitation again. It sounded like you were going to be in for a great night, and seeing Mettaton perform live was sure to be amazing. Papyrus was very excited, and reached over the counter to wrap you in a hug.You were hesitant at first but you wrapped your arms around him anyways. This was the first time a monster had ever hugged you after all, and it left you feeling bashful. 

“Welp, I guess we’ll be seeing you this weekend kid.” Sans suddenly seemed in a bit of a hurry to leave and he rushed over to the entrance. “You.. er ..coming Paps?” 

 “Until our next meeting friend, and at last you will witness this master chef in action!" Papyrus grinned widely with a hand on his chest. "Farewell for now human!" He waved at you, and followed his brother out the door. 

It turned out to be another crazy night and even though you hated that Sans and Papyrus had witnessed that scene of discrimination, you were somewhat relieved that you weren’t alone when it had occurred. You pondered for a moment that maybe working alone wasn’t a good idea anymore. You were sure your father would be calling you before the end of the night, and you would bring it up to him then. Better to be safe than sorry, in case something worse happened. 

You brushed away the thought of the impending conversation, and you remembered that, for some reason, Sans had your word search in his hands earlier while you were shopping with his brother. Why had he pulled it out? He had mentioned that they enjoyed puzzles when you first met. Maybe he just got bored waiting. Nonetheless, fueled by your own curiosity, you reached over to retrieve the word search from its hiding spot. You flipped it open to find something had been scrawled on the inside of the front cover. It was a messily written note accompanied by a number.  

_Since_ _Paps_ _invited you over, thought you might need this...and if your ever tired of doing these...and feel_ _bonely_ _?.. Send me a text, or a call, or whatever.._  

_:) Sans_   

You gripped the worn book tightly so you wouldn’t drop it. Sans had left you his number? Of course he would have left a number. They had invited you over this coming Saturday, after all. You giggled quietly to yourself, realizing that he had probably planned to do so while you were distracted. You blushed at the thought of Sans trying to write his number down without you noticing. 

With shaky hands you pulled out your phone and entered his number into your contacts. Your thumb hovered over the text button for a few seconds before you gave in to temptation and began to tap out a text. 

**Hey** **umm it’s me** **,** **just checking to see I have the right number?** **:D**  

A few minutes later you were rewarded with a buzz from your phone. 

**Oh hey! :) Glad to see you found it already..** **ehehe** **...being the puzzle lover you** **are..and** **all chum.**  

You were smiling ear to ear with your eyes glued to your phone screen. You could feel your heart beating faster as you began to type out another text, fingers stumbling. 

  **: so dinner this sat? I’m really looking forward! Should I bring anything?**  

  **Sans:** **Yeah** **! ....** **Paps** **is pretty excited! He’s working himself to the bone! ;) and nah...just bring yourself. We got everything covered on this end..** **hehe** **.**  

  **:Ok :) sounds good, just what’s your buzz? And what time should I show up to your abode?”**  

  **Sans:** **Uhh** **everyone is** **gonna** **be there for around 5ish? Dinner is at 6 and the show starts at 7.** **Paps** **has like a whole itinerary for the night** **hehe** **, you should see it.**   **It’s going to be pretty cool, and you’ll get to meet some of our friends.”**  

 Though you were excited at the prospect of hanging with Sans and his brother, the mention of some of his other friends coming made you a bit nervous. They were sure to be monsters as well. Would they even like you? What would you wear? What would you say? All these questions were ringing through your head and you felt anxiety creep in. You quickly pushed these feelings away, determined not to let them get the best of you. 

:  **Sounds awesome! I’ll see you around 5 then on Sat?** **:D :D**

  **Sans: Knock** **knock**

 You raised an eyebrow at first to Sans' response but then quickly realized what he might be up too. You laughed quietly and tapped out a reply. 

 : **who’s there? :)**  

  **Sans: Dishes**  

  **:Dishes who?**  

  **Sans: Dishes going to be a party of epic proportions! And we’ll see you sat** **k** **id, th** **e** **buzz is** **306** **btw ;)**  

 Slumping back into the stool you, chuckled to yourself. Sans couldn’t go without a joke no matter the moment. Not even when texting. 

 Part of you wished you could stop thinking so much of the small skeleton, but by now your heart was thumping loudly and you felt it beat a little faster at the thought of him. Sans and Papyrus had come crashing into your life only a few weeks ago and already you felt your world expanding outside your tiny bubble of a life. By now you were certain that you were attracted to Sans. Never did you think you’d find yourself falling for a monster, but here you were, doing exactly that. For all you knew Sans might not even be attracted to humans. But no matter what you were just happy to have made two new amazing friends, and you weren’t going to let your impending crush get in the way of that. You weren’t going to let what others may have thought  stand in the way, either. You felt a rush of excitement fill you with the prospect of the coming weekend. Nothing was going to ruin this. 

 From the corner of your eye you noticed the welcome sign  lying face down on the tiled floor, still there from the lady’s outburst earlier. Might as well hang it back up  you thought, and  you put your phone down to do so. The suction cups that held it to the window were now glued to the floor, refusing to give as you tugged away at it. Eventually it broke free and it sent you flying back, landing on your bottom.  

 Wincing, you rubbed your sore rear before standing to stick the sign back where it belonged on the window. You pressed the sign onto the glass with your hands just to be sure it wouldn’t fall again. Despite what that lady had said, every customer that walked through that door was welcome to shop at the Jiffy Mart; Monster and Human alike. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a really hard time writing the first part of this...I rewrote the beginning a few times actually. Just wanted to establish the narrow mind set of some of the townsfolk. I used to work in a convenient store, and I've seen people do things like this over the silliest things. But even so at least Reader ended the night on a good end! Now she gets to meet the gang and she got Sans' cell number! :)


	5. Hello Darlings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day of the Dinner Party! Will you survive meeting Sans and Papyrus' friends?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> O_O I apologize first and foremost.  
> This chapter was super late...because I have been super busy. But things are simmering down agian which means I can start updating more often! I'm glad to be back after a brief hiatus. Hope you guys enjoy this one! It was really fun to write this chapter. There is ALOT of dialogue in this one, and I ended up splitting what was supposed to be one chapter, into 2.

“Ouch that’s hot! Shit” 

You whimpered a bit and stuck a finger in your mouth, tasting some of the chocolate that had oozed over the side of the baking sheet.. You were never much of a baker but boxed brownies were simple enough. And still you managed to burn yourself, through a tea towel when you took them out of the oven. 

“I told you to put the glove on!” Sykes teased you waving an oven mitt. 

You smirked and threw the tea towel at Sykes, after setting the brownies on the counter to cool. “Now what would I do without your advice?” 

“I dunno, probably burn your house down? Which would be a shame since you just bought it and all." He joked.  

"That's not funny, and point taken."You said dabbing some chocolate icing on Sykes’  nose. "Now help me ice these?" 

After you and Sykes covered the brownies in a generous supply of rainbow sprinkles, as well as the counter and floor, your heard your phone buzzing. You lunged over and caught it before the vibrations caused it to skitter off the table. 

It was a text from a number you didn’t recognize. 

**:** **“ Greetings, my new human friend! Sans never gave me your number but I took it** **upon myself to retrieve it from his phone! Nyeh! You have both been thoroughly** **jape** **d** **by the Great Papyrus!** **"**   

**Papyrus: I just wanted to make sure you were coming still human! Sans is asleep on the couch and probably would have forgotten to remind you anyways! He is lucky to have such an un-forgetful brother!**  

**Papyrus: Who also happens to be the perfect party host! I even bought a book on the matter!”**  

Papyrus sent you a photo. You opened it up. It was a selfie and he was smiling widely  dressed in a chef’s hat with a blue frilly apron on. He was holding up a copy of  Entertaining for Dummies.” and giving a thumbs up.  

“Check this out,” You grinned and showed Sykes the picture. 

“Man he really is going out of his way! Sykes laughed. “Think your brownies are going  to top that?” 

You choked back a giggle and texted him back.  

**You** **:** **“Looking forward to tonight Paps! I’m sure it’s gonna be a great night!”**  

**Papyrus:** **“I need to wake up that Lazybones now, we shall see you soon!!”**  

“Thanks for helping me with dessert Sykes, I probably would have burned something  without you here.” 

Sykes held up your burnt finger to your face. “But you did! Even I can’t protect you  from yourself! Soooo, umm are you going to try and pull a move tonight?” He teased  you. 

You waved your hands in protest. “No way! Not happening..I mean, I barely know Sans  right.? And this is like, the first time hanging out with him and his brother when I’m  not at work.” 

“There’s got to be a first time for everything” Sykes told you. 

After you and Sykes cleaned up the kitchen and he left for work at the Jiffy Mart, you  gathered your things for the night ahead. You fretted a bit, leafing through your closet to find something to wear, In the end you chose comfort over style and changed into  jeans and a t shirt, paired with a green zip up hoodie. You kicked your sneakers onto  your feet and were out the door just before 5.  

Why were you nervous? You were totally nervous, Just be yourself. It was no different  than hanging out with Sykes. 

 But it was, since you were crushing on a monster. Crushes made for awkwardness, and awkwardness led to sheer embarrassment.  

You walked briskly down the street and around the corner, to the large apartment  complex that loomed over the neighborhood. You were hugging the container with  the brownies to your chest. 

In the parking lot you spied a red convertible and you snickered, reading the lisc. plate. In bold black letters it said **PAPYRUS** . How original was that? You chuckled to yourself. You continued down the lot, not noticing the bright blue ball that was bouncing down the pavement from behind, and then right under your feet. You tripped and fell to the ground but not before your brownies sailed into the air, landing at your feet with a  crunch.  

“Sorry lady!” A small child in a striped shirt and shorts called to you as they chased the ball. Was the child a girl? Or a boy? You weren’t sure. Once they retrieved the ball they raced back towards you. 

You felt a hand on your shoulder and you glanced over to see a tall furry Goat Lady  with horns on her head. She was wearing a purple jacket and floral skirt. She really  was quite beautiful. 

“I apologize about that” She spoke in a soft voice looking genuinely concerned.”My  child, Frisk can get carried away sometimes when they play.” 

You shook your head for a moment, Frisk, where have you heard that name before? Of course.. 

“Y-you, your the...” You stammered. 

“Yep I’m the monster ambassador!” They beamed at you, handing you, your container  of brownies. “Whatever is in that box smells good too!”  

You opened it up, and to your delight, though a little shaken your dessert had survived the fall.  

“I’m just on my way to a party, and I made these, w-would you like one Frisk?.  

“Sure!!” Frisk thanked you, scooping a brownie from the box and licked the chocolate  icing off their fingers. “Are you going to the same party as me and my mom?” They  asked you between bites. “At my uncle Sans and Papyrus’ place?”  

“Wow, yeah, same place! What a coincidence!” You snapped the lid back on the  container still in disbelief you just met the kid who saved the monsters. 

The Goat lady helped you to your feet and smiled warmly at you. “You must be ___, The boys have told me all about you.It’s a pleasure to meet you! I am Toriel by the way.” 

Your mouth dropped a bit.”Th-they have? And your, “Q-queen Toriel?” You stammered. “What an honor!”  

“No need for formalities, just Toriel or Tori is fine.” She chuckled. “Now we shouldn’t  keep them waiting any longer!” 

Frisk grabbed your free hand and excitedly pulled you towards the entrance of the  apartment complex. “Come on! I’ll show you the way!”  

Frisk stood up on their tippy toes to press the button 306 for Sans and Paps’ place.  After buzzing a moment you could hear Sans voice on the intercom.  

“Password?” 

“Fart Master!” Frisk squealed enthusiastically 

“That was last week’s password kiddo” Try again.” 

Frisk thought for a moment then blurted out “Supreme Fart Master?” 

“You got it kid!”  

Toriel cracked a light smile, shaking her head and the door lock clicked. 

Papyrus was standing out in the hallway in the same hat and apron on that he was  wearing in the picture earlier. Upon closer inspection you saw the words “Kiss the  Cook” was written on the front of it. A mouthwatering smell filled the hallway.  Whatever Papyrus was making smelled heavenly.  

“The first step in being the perfect party host is too promptly greet your guests upon  their arrival! Papyrus beamed. “It is so wonderful to have you all here!” 

He held out a bony hand to lead the way into his apartment. “Please come in and make yourselves at home!”  

There were pink and black balloons popping out of every free corner, some with little hearts on them. A banner had been hung on the wall and it said “Congratulations   Mettaton!!”  

Frisk bounded ahead of you and Toriel, plopping down on the couch besides Sans. He  ruffled their hair with a balloon “Cut it out Uncle Sans!” Frisk pleaded.”You bonehead!” 

“Numbskull” He said, only ruffling Frisk’s hair further, the balloon was now stuck to  their head.   

“Hey Sans!” You walked over and leaned over the back of the couch. “What’s up?” 

 “The ceiling” He grinned at you. “Guess you already met the kid and Tori from the  looks of it.”  

“Uh, yeah..outside.” You told him.  

Frisk jumped up off the couch and pointed at you. “You should have seen her uncle!  She fell flat on her butt! But she made brownies!  And they are soooo good!” Can I  have another one?” 

 “So the brownies were so good you were tripping?” Sans elbowed your side. “At least  you didn’t squish them..”  

“Under your butt!” Frisk snickered loudly. 

Sans stifled a laugh and you sunk behind the couch. 

“Now, now Frisk that’s enough.” Toriel lectured. “You can have another brownie after  dinner.”  

“Aw ok Mom..” They sighed in defeat. Frisk grabbed the balloon off their head and  proceeded to toss it about, along with any other free ones that were floating around.  

You headed over to small galley kitchen, where Papyrus had clearly been cooking up a storm. There were various sizes of bowls, measuring cups and cooking supplies strewn across the counter. The table had been neatly set with a crisp pink tablecloth and neatly folded black napkins.  Candles were lit in the middle of the table  and there was a name card on each plate, affixed with a tiny heart. Papyrus really had gone all out for the night ahead.  You turned your attention to him as he was washing some lettuce in the sink. 

 “Is there anything I can do?” You offered “The place looks awesome by the way!”  

“How nice of you to ask my Friend!” He answered. “You can slice these delicious yellow fruits for the salad if you like!” 

“The lemons?” Sure! But first I want to give you something for having me over” 

You reached down in your purse and retrieved the small gift you had picked up earlier. He stared at it with a puzzled expression. 

“Ummm, Thank you Human, but what might this contraption be?” Papyrus asked you, clearly perplexed at the tiny box in your hand.  

“It’s called a Rubix cube, it’s a puzzle, see you have to line up the colors like this.” You started to twist the cube around to show him the mechanics of it. 

“A cube of Rubix?” This puzzle is no match for the likes of me!” Papyrus boasted. I shall show you just how cool I am and solve it by the nights end! Nyeh!” 

There was a loud bang, and the front door swung open. Standing in the doorway were  two female monsters. The taller one had long red hair and sported an eye patch, with a red scarf and a leather jacket on. She had a blue scaly arm wrapped around a shorter yellow monster, also scaly but dressed much fancier, in a cute black polka dot dress.  She had thick black glasses like the ones Sykes wore. 

 “Hey nerds!” The taller one cackled. “Weeeere here! Now the party can really get  started!” The smaller monster waved, cheeks bright red. 

 “Undyne! Alphys!” How was the drive? I missed you guys soo much!” Papyrus ran over  to them and wrapped them both in a hug, squeezing them together. Sans shot a lazy wave from his spot on the couch. 

 “Missed ya too Paps!” The drive was fine, it’s only two hours away.” She reassured him. “And hello to lazybones over there! Can’t even get up to say hello can you?”  

“ Eh, too much effort for this skeleton” Sans shot back throwing his arms behind his  skull.  

Undyne glanced over at you with a raised eyebrow.  

“Who’s the human?” She questioned. “Didn’t think there would be any here...she a  troublemaker?”  

“N-now sweetie” Alphys stammered clutching her girlfriend’s arm. 

“Nooooooo Undyne” She is our friend! She works at the Jiffy Mart around the corner  and supplies Sans and I in delicious foodstuffs, and look here.” He held up the gift you had given him. “She brought me a new puzzle! A cube of Rubix!” 

Undyne snatched the rubix cube from Papyrus and turned it around a few times in her webbed hands. “What the hell is this thing? Some sort of human trapping device? Something to draw you in so when your guard is down, you can strike?” 

“It’s just a puzzle, for fun” You squeaked. Something told you Undyne was going to be particularly hard to win over. 

“Fuhuhuhuhu” She cackled at you and tossed the cube back to Papyrus. “I’m only jokin around, the name’s Undyne and this cutie here is Alphys, my girlfriend.”  

You relaxed a little once Undyne cooled down and you introduced yourself. 

“Holy Mettaton Paps! You really decked the place out in all his colors!” Undyne said in  bewilderment.   

Paps lit right up “ You really think so? He gushed. “I truly tried my best!” 

“It l-looks great!” Alphys said shyly. “He would love it.” I-haven’t seen him much since he g-got his big break and I s-started my teaching job at the university, but he would be p-proud of your effort." 

Papyrus squealed in delight then clapped his hands together. 

“Ok! Since all my dear friends are here now, Shall you join me in front of the banner for a selfie? Mettaton insisted that his fans send in pictures of their parties for his debut  on human TV!” He pointed a bony finger at his brother. “That means you too Sans!”  

Sans lazily dragged himself off the couch and headed over to the banner, along with  everyone else. Somehow in the shuffle of things you ended pressed up between Sans  and Frisk, with Papyrus stretching out his phone, trying to get everyone in the shot.  You glanced over at Sans  since you were cheekbone to cheekbone,  but you quickly  looked away. Was he looking at you? You couldn’t be sure. And you didn’t want to be  too obvious you were looking at him. You were frozen in place, and couldn’t move. 

“Ok now everyone say, Helloo Darlings!” Paps instructed. 

“HELLLOOOO DARLINGS!”  

He snapped the picture and the group released itself from it’s tight hold. Your cheek  still felt warm, still fresh from the pressure of being so close to Sans.  

“I’m sure Mettaton will appreciate the Skelfie Paps!” Sans remarked. 

“Saaaaaaans!” No punning! My book states that bad puns are not good party edicate!”  Papyrus stammered at his brother, crossing his arms.  

Sans just grinned widely at him and everyone laughed. 

You weren’t feeling so nervous anymore and felt right at home with this little band of monsters. Something told you, it was going to be a good night. 

  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smile for a Skelfie!!  
> I bet Paps would be taking so many of them.  
> Stay tuned to see what happens next! Should be up in a few days (I am actually off this weekend from work) :D  
> Come drop by my tumblr for a visit if you like. www.thejinichan.tumblr.com I post mostly undertale stuffage there, and I'm always up for a chat :)


	6. Something Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two of the Party shenanigans with the gang!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this party/dinner ended up being so long O_O, to be honest this whole fic is becoming longer then I originally planned. But I am having such a great time writing it. It's a breath of fresh air doing it again.  
> I have the plot pretty much written all up now so I'm hoping to update at least once or twice a week now. :)

“Now I know this meal may seem pale in comparison to my artisan spaghetti but trust me my friends, your taste buds have no idea what they are in store for!”  

Papyrus stood proudly at the head of the table, with a look of true satisfaction. He had swapped his frilly blue apron for a black dress shirt and bright pink tie, looking very sharp. 

For someone who was only learning to cook, it was an impressive spread, and your mouth watered at the sight of it. Papyrus had spared no detail, making a lasagna, with crusty bread and a Caesar salad with homemade dressing. There was enough food to feed a small army. Your stomach was growling at the sight of it. 

“If everyone would take their seats now, I shall get the drinks!” Papyrus said. “There is red and white wine for the adults and for Frisk there is sparkling grape juice.!” 

Frisk lit up and bounced over to take their seat at the end of the table, while everyone else followed and sat, eager to help themselves to the meal laid out before them. 

The dining room was tiny and you shimmied behind the table to take your seat in the back. Alphys and Undyne sat beside you, and Sans took the chair right across. The table was small but somehow the 7 of you fit comfortably around it. The candles flickered, sending shadows dancing on the wall, only adding to the relaxed atmosphere. 

The meal was delicious as it looked and everyone chatted animatedly while eating dinner. You listened to Undyne recount the story of how they met Frisk, and you learned how this small band of monsters became friends with a human. They had all been through so much together, and it was easy to see just how much they cared about this small child. 

Toriel stood up for a moment and held up a wine glass. “I just wanted to make a quick toast. I saved this news for tonight since we were all getting together. The town council has approved my request and has agreed to partially fund the building of a school for both monsters and human children. It took a few months, but it’s finally happening!” 

“T-that is wonderful Toriel!.” Alphys congratulated. “And you know t-that Undyne and I will definitely m-move back to teach when it’s ready.” 

Undyne clapped her hands together and happily cackled. “It’s about time the humans pushed that through. Honestly I’m sick of living in the city, would love to be back here with the gang.” 

Sans gave Toriel a thumbs up and winked. “Good going Tori, I was getting bored of my job anyways.” 

“How could you possibly be bored of your job Sans? All you do is stay home in your pajamas all day lounging with the laptop.” Papyrus stated waving a fork at his brother. 

“Wait..what do you even do anyways?” You asked Sans in disbelief. All this time you didn’t even know what he did for a living. 

“I write research papers, before my job as a sentry I used to work in a lab with Alphys.” Sans told you leaning back in his chair. 

“So what, are you like a scientist or something? What do you write? When did you plan on telling me this? Did you go to school or something in the underground?” Woow.” You questioned, stumbling over your own words in astonishment.

Sans chuckled at you. “Well, you never bothered to ask..and nope never been to school or anything, just had a skele **ton** of time on my hands, and quantum physics, that sorta stuff...no big deal.” 

“No big deal? Yes big deal!” You complimented him. “Sykes would totally go nuts if he found out you were into that kinda stuff. He’s a bit of a nerd himself.” 

“Sans is the huuuuugest nerd!” Undyne teased. “He was always asking me to find science textbooks and stuff like that in the dump, back in the underground.” 

“So basically Undyne is saying that you learned quantum physics from books thrown in the trash?, Damn that’s pretty impressive Sans.” You continued further. 

Sans awkwardly smiled at you and shrugged. “Eh if you say so, heh. At least it pays the bills, but what I’m really lookin forward too is working at the school with this kiddo here.” He ruffled Frisk’s hair, and they playfully swatted his bony hand away.  

“I for one also have a few toasts to make!” Papyrus said raising a glass. “Let us not forget the reason we are all here tonight! Mettaton, has finally made his big break and tonight, we will celebrate just how magnificent he is!”  

“I also want to make a toast to our new friend ___., who is the first human other than Frisk, to have befriended my brother and I.” Papyrus gazed in your direction while saying so. 

You smiled hesitantly back. “Aww Paps, it’s no big deal, you guys made it, so easy to become your friends that is, I mean.” 

“But don’t you see? It is a big deal, since us monsters have come to the surface, hardly anyone has accepted us the way you have. We are lucky to know you!” Papyrus remarked. 

“I think I’m the lucky one..” You stammered. “Since meeting you and Sans, work isn’t so boring for me anymore. I actually like working the night shift now, knowing that you guys just might pay me a visit.” 

“I’m just so happy!” He beamed and reached over to wrap you in one of his giant hugs. Tears leaked from his eye sockets and landed on your sweater, leaving small wet spots. Man he was a sensitive guy, and how could a skeleton even cry? You tried to wrap your head around the thought.You didn’t even bother to ask anymore, There was no end to the things monsters could do with their magic. It made up half of their bodies after all. 

Frisk jumped up in their chair and tugged on Toriel’s sleeve. “Mom can I go and get the brownies now that I’m done eating? Pleeease?” 

“But you haven’t even finished your plate!!” She said, then paused thoughtfully for a moment. “Oh very well, go ahead.” Toriel nodded and she waved a furry hand at Frisk. 

Everyone seemed to enjoy your dessert, even though most of the squares ended up misshapen from the fall. Papyrus especially loved the sprinkles and he asked where he might acquire them for his pet. He gestured over to the corner and sitting on the end table next to a plant was a lumpy grey rock on a tiny plate. You smiled and told him you’d get him some at work when you returned to work on Monday. 

His eyes grew the size of saucers and he clasped his hands together. “Is there anything your store doesn’t carry?” 

After everyone had eaten, you helped clear the table off, stacking the dishes next to the sink. Sans was leaned up against the kitchen counter with his sleeves rolled up and he was sliding his hands into a pair of bright yellow rubber gloves..He wiggled his fingers at you and grinned.  

“You want a hand?” You offered rolling up your sleeves.” I uh, don’t see **dish** being your favorite thing to do. It’s not mine anyways.” 

“I **sink** that would be great.” Sans just winked at you and turned the tap on.  

While everyone else gathered up on the couch to catch the preshow for MTT live, it was just you and Sans in the kitchen, laughing and tossing puns at each other, washing dishes. 

“Why did the robber take a bath.?” Sans asked, handing you a glass to rinse off. 

You rolled your eyes at him. “Umm I dunno, enlighten me.” 

“So he could make a **clean** getaway!” 

You playfully swatted some bubbles at him and giggled. “Stop it, your terrible!” 

Sans just grinned at you, “Eh, you love it.” 

You grabbed a handful of bubbles and blew them right into his face. “You’d like to think so wouldn’t you.” You were so caught up in what you were doing, you failed to notice that the majority of the bubbles had gone right into Sans’ eye sockets. 

“Oh my god shit! I’m sorry..” You stumbled over your words, and put a hand on his shoulder while he bent over to empty out his sockets. To your surprise he immediately shot up, shaking his skull and the remaining bubbles floated off his face, 

“Ah it’s no big deal, I needed a bath anyways...but you...” He paused, smirking mischievously as he reached into the sink, splashing you with the soapy water.  

“Could use one too.” 

You shook you head in defeat and snickered with the skeleton. 

“Saaaans quit boondoggling with our human friend!” Papyrus called over from the couch. “ Please do hurry for the program is about to start!” 

You and Sans wandered over to the couch, which, was already full. Sans just grabbed a few of the throw pillows and tossed them onto the floor, plunking himself down on top of the pile. He shifted around until he got comfortable, then sighed closing his eyes with his arms behind his head. Nervously you sat down beside the skeleton, though before you could scoot closer Frisk slunk in between the two of you with a large bowl in their hands. The contents of the bowl toppled out onto you and Sans when Frisk made contact with the pillow pile. 

“Pink Popcorn?" You said bewildered, grabbing a handful of the stuff off your lap. “I havent had this stuff in ages!” 

Sans casually tossed a handful into his mouth. “How’d ya know I was still hungry? Thanks kiddo.” 

The show started, much to everyone’s delight but none more so than Papyrus. He giddily hopped off the couch. He twisted and swayed to the music, singing the lyrics as passionately as Mettaton himself. Frisk succumbed to the skeleton’s dance moves and jumped up to join him. Pretty soon the real concert was taking place right before you, in the living room. It was far more enjoyable than the TV special. 

When Mettaton stopped singing, he made a quick announcement, thanking all of his darling fans, for helping his dreams come true. He thanked the Monsters for believing in him, and Dr Alphys for her tireless efforts in perfecting his true form. Mettaton paused during his speech, firmly gripping his microphone, lastly thanking his number one fan Papyrus, for his continued love and support. He happily announced that he would be by soon to see his special friend. 

“OH. MY. GOSH!!” Papyrus exclaimed, with his hands on top of his skull. “Mettaton is coming here to see me??? I can’t believe it!!!!!” 

Alphys giggled a little, “H-he should be up in a few weeks after his tour, he t-told me himself. He really misses you Papyrus,” 

Papyrus could hardly contain his happiness now and was vibrating in excitement. 

You failed to notice though, through all the chaos that Sans had dozed off beside you. Just how could he sleep through all that? Undyne noticed as well and she nudged Sans with her foot. He arose quickly, and blinked slowly a few times in confusion. 

“How in God’s name do you sleep through a party?” Undyne asked. 

Sans stood up and stuck his hands in his hoodie. “I dunno, had lot’s of practice over the years. What did I miss?” 

Papyrus was too happy to chide Sans for falling asleep and just gushed over the upcoming visit. Sans patted his brother, giving him a thumbs up. 

The evening took a quieter after Mettaton's tv special had ended. Papyrus sat on the couch with Undyne, both engrossed with the task of solving the rubix cube. They took turns twisting and turning the cube around, failing to solve it. 

“That puzzle got you guys puzzled?” Sans teased them. 

Papyrus raised an eyebrow at his brother. “We may not have solved it just yet but fret not! I will unravel it’s complexities in due time, Nyeh.”  

Undyne grew impatient of trying and raised her hands in defeat. “Ok Paps, this one’s all yours.” 

“Let me try.” Sans asked and Paps tossed it to his brother. Sans raised a brow and effortlessly lined up the colors in less than five minutes. You, along with everyone else were shocked. Sans shrugged and handed it back to his brother. 

“W-wait how? The cube of rubix has revealed it’s true secrets to you?” Papyrus asked bewildered. 

Undyne snatched it from Papyrus and twisted it back to it’s disarrayed appearance. 

“It’s on skeleman! I bet I’ll solve it faster than you this time!” 

Frisk yawned, and stretched their arms out. Toriel glanced over at the clock. It was just after nine now, and the last rays of sunlight were vanishing off the walls. Toriel announced that they should be heading home soon, to Frisk’s dismay. After hugging all their monster friends goodbye, Frisk wrapped their arms around your legs. 

“Will you make something yummy next time you I see you?” They asked, with a big smile. 

“Of course Frisk! It was great to meet you.” And I’ll be sure not to drop them this time.” You told them. 

“And I’ll be sure not to toss a ball around you!” Frisk promised. 

Undyne and Alphys rose to leave soon after, due to the fact they had a 2 hour drive ahead of them. Before saying their goodbyes Undyne hobbled over to you, putting an arm around your shoulder. 

“Watch out for these boneheads until we move back eh?” She said. “Don’t let them get into any trouble.” 

“I will.” You reassured her. “And come  drop by the Jiffy Mart next time you and Alphys are in town, umm if you want to.” 

Undnyne slapped you on the back lightly. “For your delicous foodstuffs? Fuhuhuhu...we’ll be sure not to miss it.” 

With everyone gone, Papyrus darted through the apartment tidying up the remaining mess. He moved very swiftly, and hummed to himself while doing so. You offered to help but he insisted on doing it himself. 

“Hey, anytime you wanna clean, your more than welcome to come to my place.”  

“And I shall bring my latest culinary creation in thanks!” Papyrus replied happily. 

“Speaking of thanks, er before you leave.” Sans trailed off. He hobbled over to the closet, rummaging for a few moments before coming back to you with something in tow. 

He set a small stack of books into your hands. They looked like word searches and crosswords, but not like any you had ever seen. Intrigued you flipped one open and inspected it’s contents. 

“These are junior jumble books, among other kinds, er puzzles from the underground.” He told you. “We had a few leftover, thought you might want them for work in your downtime.” 

Without thinking you pulled Sans into a hug, wrapping your arms around him. You were just tall enough to rest your head on top of his skull while doing so. You could feel his ribcage, poking through his heavy sweater. A shade of blue crept over the skeleton’s cheeks and he stood their frozen in place, unable to move. 

“Thanks alot Sans” You said softly. “This is pretty cool.” 

“No problem buddy, uh **tibia** honest I noticed that the one you have going right now was getting pretty full.” He squirmed awkwardly in your embrace and patted your back lightly. “Umm you can, let me go now though heh.” 

“Oh ya...oops, uh sorry” You withdrew your arms from around him, very flustered for getting lost in the moment. 

“No need to be sorry, er you got a good grip that’s for sure.” Sans mumbled. 

"Sans is right, you should never apologize for hugging a friend!” Papyrus declared. “Though..come to think of it I never see you hug anybody Sans, not even I, your brother.” He had a hand under his chin and pondered for a minute. 

“...Is there something special about this human that makes you want to hug her Sans?” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Claps~
> 
> You finally hugged! 
> 
> Only took 6 chapters hehe, though I promise things will speed up from here. I'm still not sure if I'm going to delve into anything too smutty but we shall see. :D  
> Any questions or anything drop an ask on my tumblr.  
> www.thejinichan.tumblr.com
> 
> I also want you guys to know I am extremely grateful to you all for reading my ficcy here. Every comment and kudos means the world to this girl! I'm just sitting here, in the trash amazed that their are people out there who like my writing TT_TT
> 
> Hugs to you all!!!


	7. Scary Movies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a lazy Sunday before you start the work week. What could possibly happen? Who might possibly show up?

  

You awoke the next morning to a series of texts from Papyrus. Groggily you sat up in your bed and pulled your covers tight around your legs. You thumbed through the messages and tried to rub the sleep from your blurred eyes. 

 

 **Papyrus: I trust you made it home safe last night! You left in such a tizzy!**  

 

 **:I hope last night was to your expectations my friend! Only I Papyrus, could throw a dinner party of such amazing caliber!**  

 

 **: It’s funny, after you departed Sans was in a hurry to go to bed himself! He wouldn’t answer me and he immediately went to his room! He won’t come out now.**  

 

 **: Not even for my breakfast spaghetti...**  

 

 **: Is there something going on between you two? I will get to the bottom of this Nyeh ;)**  

  

 **:Because that’s what friends do!!! And I will not rest until I have done so!!**  

 

 What did he mean? Was it really that obvious you were crushing on Sans?? Did Sans know?? Did he tell Sans? Stunned, you took a deep breath to calm down. You were reading way too much into things, as usual. You kept your text back nice and casual. 

 

 **You; I had a great time Paps! :D**  

 

 **You: And everything is all good! I was just tired that’s all, and no there is nothing going on between Sans and I. We are just friends, like you and me :):)**  

 

Just friends, Yes.  

  

It was Sunday, which meant laundry, cleaning and video games. Sunday was your day to rest and recharge for the coming week ahead. Usually your mother ended up coming over at some point during the day to discuss business strategies for the jiffy Mart as well. To your delight on this particular Sunday she had shown up with breakfast from your favorite coffee shop. You praised her for the goddess she could be sometimes and nestled into one of the oversized armchairs in your living room, nursing your French vanilla cappuccino. 

  

Your mother anxiously tapped her fingers on the couch. she obviously had something on her mind, it was easy to tell. She was staring off out the window, not uttering a single word. 

  

“Spill the Beans Mom.” You told her. “I’m all ears.” 

  

She lightly coughed before beginning. “So you've been hanging around those skeleton monsters from the looks of it, quite frequently.”  

  

You raised an eyebrow at her. “Annd? Your point is.? You set your coffee down, annoyed and crossed your arms. How could she of all people have a problem with that? Last time you checked your parents had no qualms about monster kind. 

  

Your mother sighed and clasped her hands. “Look honey, it doesn’t bother me if you hang around monsters, that’s perfectly fine with me, and your father..but..I..just want you to be careful that's all...I worry...” 

  

“What’s there to worry about Mom??” You remarked, taken aback by her words. 

  

She shook her head in confusion, “No..no..it’s not that..just look at this. “Your mother pulled out her cell phone and opened up the internet browser to the local news page for your town. The words on the screen burned into your eyes. 

  

 **RESIDENTS  PLAN  PROTEST  AT  CITY  HALL  AGAINST  APPROVAL  OF MONSTER SCHOOL**  

  

  

You blinked slowly in disbelief. In your sleepy town? This couldn’t be happening. 

  

“Honey, I got a call this morning from my neighbor, they are taking part in it, and asked if your father and I would join. Of course I told them no, but they didn’t take it...well...”  

  

“Did something happen Mom.?” You stammered. “Please god, tell me nothing happened.” 

  

“Nothing serious, Your father just exchanged, ahem, some colorful language with Mr. Peterson that’s all.” Your mother winced while she said this. She was never too keen on swearing. “I’m pretty sure he won’t be coming over for cards with his wife anytime soon.” 

  

She put her hands on your shoulders. “Now your an adult and can be friends with whoever you want, but please, just be careful ok? Things seem to be escalating lately and the last thing I want is for you to get caught in the middle of things.” 

  

“You have nothing to worry about, Mom...I can handle myself.” You scoffed. 

  

“I know you can honey, it’s just people in this town I don’t trust.” She sneered.”People I have known for years..picking fights...oh well nevermind that.” She waved a hand ,and nervously laughed. ”Water under the bridge right?”  

  

“Now tell me some good news!” She piped, trying her best not to sound awkward. “Tell me what you’ve been up too lately...er how did your party go?” 

  

  

After your mother left, you spent the rest of the day foraging for random socks around the house, and finished your laundry. Once that was out of the way with the rest of the cleaning, you made some dinner, though you always seemed to make too much for yourself. You would have to have Sykes over with Sans and Papyrus sometime soon for a meal. After you ate, you headed outside to your swing to read the novel you had been fighting to finish for the past few weeks. Tonight would be the night you finished it. 

  

You laid down and stretched your legs out, fiddling with the pillow behind your head, to find a comfortable reading position. You dived instantly into your book, Dragonworld. Right now it was just the escape from reality you needed. 

  

“Hey.” 

  

You hastily sprang up startled, looking up, then realized someone was standing right in front of you. Surprised, you dropped your book and it hit the porch with a thud.  

  

 It was Sans. 

  

“You have a talent for dropping stuff don’t ya.” He said, picking up your copy of Dragonworld. His orblike eyes skimmed the cover. “I’ve read this one, Undyne found it in the dump way back, it’s pretty good.” 

  

You playfully snatched it away from him. “ I wouldn’t call dropping stuff a talent, and pleeease don’t tell me the ending.” You pleaded. Smoothing out the wrinkles in your jeans, you stood up and tossed the book on the swing.  

  

“So...uh, what brings you here?” You said, trying your best to sound casual. 

  

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and kicked at the wooden slats in your porch. “Paps was rearranging his action figures in his room, and I got bored, so I, teleported here..wanted to see if.. you maybe wanna hang out? If your ok with having a skeleton in your place that is..” 

  

“Last time I checked there were skeletons inside my store regularly so hmmm let’s see..I’m pretty positive it’s ok for one to be inside my house!” You teased.  

  

The two of you headed inside and you threw your sweater off on the floor, even though you just cleaned. Easier to pick up later. Sans shrugged his hoodie off too, dropping it right on top of your own. 

  

“Nice shirt.” 

  

“Oh you like this one? He grinned, holding the ends of his t-shirt. In bold black letters it read “Good Puns are their own Reword.” 

  

“Ain’t that the truth.” You muttered, shuffling into the kitchen. “Er..can I get you something? Some tea maybe?” 

  

“Sure chum” He nodded. “Are we gonna be in for another Part **ea** tonight?” 

  

You giggled a bit at his little pun. “No just tea, can’t party tonight, work tomorrow for this gal.” You hummed a little while you put some water in the kettle to boil. 

  

Sans had already wandered over to the living room and threw himself on the couch, flicking the TV on. He slung his slippered feet onto the coffee table, making himself right at home. You stepped out of the kitchen, with two steaming mugs in hand. He dropped his feet so you could squeeze by to the other side of the couch. 

  

“Sorry..” He apologized. “Paps hates when I do that, heh.” 

  

You plopped down beside him and handed him a cup, only putting your own feet up. “Don’t bother me none.” You laughed. “And by the way..that’s Orange spice green tea.” 

  

Sans slowly blew the steam emanating from the mug and took a small sip. He closed his eyes, looking really relaxed.  

  

“Not bad at all.” He murmured happily. 

  

Sooo umm...You stammered. “Do you like scary movies?” 

  

Sans grinned at you..”What did you have in mind?” 

  

Cheezy, scary movies were your favorite, and luckily Netflix had a tonne in it’s entourage. And besides, what better way to get a little closer to someone you like?   

  

You and Sans settled on some 80’s horror flick about bunnies that turned into cannibalistic crazed mutant rabbits. The special effects were terrible, and so was the acting. The both of you weren’t really paying attention to it anyways..you just laughed together over the mistakes in the flick. How could the movie producers not edit out the camera’s shadow? Did the blood really need to have the consistency of strawberry jam? It was one of the lamest movies you’d ever seen, and picking it apart with Sans was a blast.  

  

Sometime, during the movie, you and Sans had slowly made your way to the middle of the couch. You were now shoulder to shoulder with him, and your heart was thumping faster. Feeling a little bolder..you shifted even closer so you were leaning right against him, with your head on his shoulder. 

  

And he didn’t move away. 

  

For a skeleton, the feel of his bones, there was a certain warmth that radiated off his body. You nestled your face into the folds of his shirt, and continued to watch the movie, in silence. 

  

You felt Sans squirming around a bit..and to your surprise..he shifted his arm so that it was around your shoulder. He glanced down at you with half lidded eyes, flushing a light blue in his cheeks. Wait..was he blushing? 

  

“Comfortable?” 

  

“Y-yeah..” That was all you could muster at this point, being cuddled up close with Sans. 

  

“Me too” He muttered quietly. 

  

This was nice. Really nice. You didn’t want the movie to end.  

  

But unfortunately it did. 

  

And Sans had fallen asleep. 

  

You nudged him lightly. Nothing. Oh well..it’s not like you were in any of a hurry to get up anyways right? Might as well make the most of the moment. You slowly ran a hand up to his rib cage, and fell it rise and fall with each small breath he took. Your hand trailed up to his face, and you cupped the side of his cheek in your palm. When did you become so bold? His cheeks though blue, felt very warm, and though the surface of his bones were hard, they were smooth. Your hand lingered on his cheek for a moment. 

  

He opened his eyes and blinked, slowly. 

  

You snaked your hand back, and silently prayed that he didn’t notice you touching his face while he roused out of slumber. Sans had a confused look on his face..and he lifted his arm up from around you. 

  

Crap. You got caught for being a weirdo. You were mortified. You couldn’t look at him. 

  

Sans slipped his hand in his pocket, and pulled out his cell, it’s bright screen illuminating the room.  

  

“It’s getting late...Paps texted me a buncha times..I should prolly get going.” 

  

You glanced over at the clock. It was getting late, though you were scared he might be making an excuse to leave, since you clearly made him feel all awkward. Why did you do things like this? 

  

But Sans just smiled that smile of his, and your fearful thoughts melted away with it. How could he be so cute? Please don’t blush you told yourself. Keep it cool. 

  

“Err...sorry about that...falling asleep on you and all..He shyly said. Sans leaned over to the side on one foot, hands in the pockets of his cargo pants. 

  

“What do you call a sleeping dinosaur?” He finally asked you. You just shook your head and braced yourself for the coming answer. 

  

“A dinosnore.” 

  

You couldn't help it but you immediately snorted, before erupting in laughter like some sort of banshee. The joke wasn’t even that funny..but Sans always seemed to have the right joke for every occasion, and he nailed it perfectly this time around. The skeleton seemed very pleased with his efforts, and stifled a giggle behind his hand. You felt tears spring in the corner of your eyes, and you rubbed them away. 

  

“Why must you torture me like this?” You stammered, still shaking a bit. “Is it because I bored you to sleep?” 

  

“Nope just **bone** tired, heh...I think I’ve been workin too much lately.. got some pretty tight deadlines on my newest papers.” 

  

“Well anytime..you need a break, or a shoulder...I mean you can drop by anytime. Sykes could even pop by, and you could bring Papyrus? I’m always up for movies, or video games, or anything..” You were rambling and you stopped yourself before you entered a downward spiral of doing so.  

  

“That’d be great kid.”  

  

“Great”  

  

“Cool” 

  

“I guess I’ll see you sometime this week at Jiffy Mart?” You asked. 

  

“Guess you will pal.” 

  

You wanted to hug him goodbye, but you decided not to, and Sans didn’t initiate one either. He didn’t bother to use the front door either, and just winked at you before vanishing instantly. 

  

How and when did you start falling so fast? And so hard? Part of you desperately wished you could vanish away with him.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just before things couldn't get any fluffier...hope you guys enjoyed the couch cuddles. There is plenty more to come. Things are really going to twist soon though..stay tuned :)
> 
> Mosey over to my tumblr! www.thejinichan.tumblr.com


	8. Cause for Alarm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just another late lazy evening at the Jiffy Mart...or is it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so late with this and I'm so sorry guys O_O  
> I ended up rewriting this chapter like 3 times, and then I only had a few weeks to get ready for Anime North and my cosplays so I had to leave my fic on the back burner.But Fear not! I am back now :) I apologize for keeping you all waiting but hope you enjoy the update :)  
> As always follow me on tumblr if you like  
> www.thejinichan.tumblr.com

 

  

You locked eyes with the skeleton sitting across from you, drumming your pen against the counter. Sans just leaned in  closer, grinning sheepishly. 

“Uh, is this for real?” You asked in disbelief. “Sans,..this is, just a random jumble of letters...ummmm” Your eyes scanned the page for a moment. “Oh wait,..wow, it’s right there” Circling the answer you chuckled lightly, shaking your head. “Haha Really?” The answer was in the first row all along. 

Sans had his skull resting on one of his bony hands, “Really really.” He quipped as you slid the puzzle book across the counter. Without looking he circled the next answer, pushing it back. 

You poked Sans sleeve and giggled. “How many times have you done this”?” 

He shrugged.“Eh? Too many times to count, We only have one puzzle creator in the underground, so most of em get recycled. Besides, you’ve never done these before, so it’s a new experience buddy.” 

You rolled your eyes at the skeleton, and crossed off the last word in the Monster kidz word search. “ I could have done this with my eyes closed.” You teased. 

Sans raised a brow while rummaging through the pile of books he had gifted you a few weeks ago.”PFFFT, that’s for babybones anyways... ready for a real challenge then pal?” He pulled out a book from the bottom of the stack. 

“101 puzzles for Master Monster Puzzle experts” 

The corner of your mouth cracked into an impish grin. 

“Bring it on.” 

The two of you dove into the new book, like you had many other times over the past few weeks. Sans now had a new excuse for coming to visit you during your evening shifts. Papyrus was delighted to see his brother having a new found enthusiasm for puzzles, since Sans had always been boondoggling and not re calibrating his own puzzle traps in the underground. If this was a trap, it was one you were happy to be apart of. 

It was a thing now, the two of you, working on word searches and crosswords before you had to close up shop.  

Other than Sans popping in a while ago, it had turned out to be a quiet night. Nobody had entered the store recently and the minutes ticked away to closing time. You checked the time on your cell and tried to cover a yawn with your hand. 

“Tired of me already?” Sans teased.  

You sleepily settled your head into the crook of your arm and smiled at the skeleton warmly.  

“Hmm? No...that’s impossible.” 

Sans froze, and turned to look away, while a blue flush covered his face.  

“Oh..uhhh...welp-”  

He was cut off by a thunderous crash.  

And that’s when the glass windows burst one after the other. 

The explosion sent you barreling backwards before you could even register what was happening. Sans had leapt over the counter, tumbling onto the floor beside you. Desperately you tried to cover your face from the fragments of glass raining down on top of you. 

You squinted from underneath the counter in horror, as something, or someone was smashing the windows of the Jiffy Mart. Each eruption of glass was followed by a brick sailing through the air, colliding with snack displays and toppling product off the shelves 

One of the impending bricks was whizzing over the counter. Sans threw himself over you as you lay on the cold ceramic flooring. Somehow the brick froze in midair before flying in the opposite direction, as Sans’ left eye flashed a bright blue. You could feel him tense up, and his breathing became heavy, matching your own. 

.The door swung open, and was followed by the sound of glass crunching under the weight of heavy footsteps. You could hear a rhythmic thumping sound. Shivering, you squirmed from underneath Sans’ protective embrace to get a better look at the intruders. 

There were 3 assailants, disguised in black from head to toe, donning backlavas. The meticulous thumping sound was coming from the baseball bat that was firmly grasped in the hands of one of the intruders. 

You gupled, and froze as by now  the intentions of the masked intruders were pretty evident. It certainly wasn’t to steal anything. 

“I know your in here, with that thing!” One of the attackers bellowed. “Why don’t you and the monster come on out? And we can have a nice chat.” 

“Don’t move.” Sans whispered into your ear, and you complied to shocked to move an inch. Your mind raced, trying to think of the best way out of the situation without Sans or yourself getting hurt. And without further damage being done to the store.  

More than ever you were thankful for the panic button your parents had installed on the floor under the counter beneath the cash register. Once pushed, the cops would be there within minutes. You tripped the switch, trying not to make any noise while doing so. 

Now you just had to ride it out until the cops got there. 

“Not going to come out? Let’s see if I can PERSUADE YOU THEN SWEETHEART.” 

The assailant swung the bat across the counter and the cash register came crashing down on top of your ankle before Sans could stop it. Hot tears stung your eyes as the pain shot up your leg. Immediately Sans shoved it off you while you wiggled your foot out from underneath it. The puzzle books you and Sans were just working on were now strewn across the floor. 

Your hands balled into fists, and you were shaking under Sans weight. 

Your voice cracked as you spoke. 

“P-please, just take whatever you want and leave.” You stammered “I d-don’t want any trouble.” 

Your response was followed by a maniacal laugh, the likes of which you had never heard. 

“We aren’t going anywhere, little lady, not until you and your pathetic parents learn a lesson." The figure in the front slammed the baseball bat in their hand. “And that thing there beside you, goes back where it belongs.” 

“He is NOT A THING!” You screamed, despite the searing pain emanating from your ankle. You twisted out of Sans grasp whilst the assailant peered over the counter, eyes flaring 

“You guys picked a bad time to do your shopping.” Sans spoke in a low but calm tone. “Don’t ya know it’s just about closing time?” His pupils had disappeared now, and his eye sockets became black bottomless pits. 

“Your nothing but a filthy fucking undergrounder, and the only thing that’s going to be closing is your time in this town!!” The attacker cackled. 

The assailant was trying to climb over the counter now, with his baseball bat raised over his head. Sans left eye suddenly flared blue again, the air around you sparked and crackled. He tensed and raised a hand at the attacker 

The assailant dropped the bat and was flung backwards, smashing into the pop coolers. You gasped as the other two froze into place, all with the flick of a single wrist. 

“Don’t. Move.” Sans growled. “There, much better...very good.” 

Sans magic was powerful and terrifying to behold, as the intruders now had lost control of their bodies. The three of them were frozen on the spot. Terror filled their eyes, and one of them buckled and started to cry, begging Sans to stop. 

Sans only ignored them, with his hand out in front of him to hold them into place. He then turned to look at you, using his free arm to help you to your feet. You almost fell over while rising, your leg pulsating in pain still. He put his arm right around your side, holding you up so you wouldn't fall. He glanced down at you narrowing his eyes . 

“Hold on, ok” 

Before you could register what was happening, an odd sensation overcame you and the room had suddnely vanished, in an instant everything going black. Terrified, you buried your face into Sans hoodie and held onto him for dear life. 

You dropped onto something soft but firm, in an all too familiar place. 

You were back home in your living room. 

Your head was swimming as you tried to make sense over what just happened. Disorientated, you tried to stand up but the pain in your ankle caused your leg to buckle and you fell back into the couch. 

Calmly, Sans put his hands on your shoulders. “Easy now ok? I just teleported you and the effects of the magic haven’t quite worn off yet.” 

You grabbed the fur trim on Sans hoodie and pulled him towards you. 

“Why did you take me home?” You stammered, tears springing in your eyes. “Take me back now!!!....my store.....I just....can’t stand back while.... 

The tears you were fighting so hard to keep back were now rolling down your cheeks. This wasn’t happening, it couldn’t be happening, 

But it was. 

Trembling, you sank into Sans arms, his large hoodie muffled your crying.  

Sans ran a bony hand through your hair, stroking the side of your face. 

“It’s gonna be ok...trust me, those guys are not going to do anything else, besides the cops are gonna be there any minute.” He paused for a moment. “Your ankle is probably sprained, and I.., had to get you out of there.” 

  

You sniffled and wiped the tears off your face, glancing up at the monster while you were in his embrace. If Sans’ hadn’t been there, who knows what might have happened? Through it all he had protected you, even using his magic to do so.  

Your heart was pounding in your chest once more, and you wondered if Sans could feel it too. Your eyes met, his pupils shining brightly in the dimness of the room and you were unable to look away.  

“Sans...I..”  

Sans blinked slowly in confusion as you leaned in closer. Your eyelids fluttered shut and you softly pressed your lips on his mouth. The warmth of the kiss caused the pain in your ankle to fade away.  Your hand slid up his face to cup his cheek. 

Sans shakily grabbed your hand, your lips had lingered on his mouth for only a fleeting moment. He looked petrified, and his breathing was heavy, sweat forming on his brow. Why was he looking at you like that? He wouldn’t look away, eyes locked with yours.  You wanted him to look away.

“Sans..I’m sorry,,,I, didn’t” You stammered and stared down at the floor. A rock sank into the pit of your stomach and you suddenly felt nauseous. 

The sound of sirens in the distance broke the silence as they echoed into the night. Startled, you both jumped back. You winced as you ended up shifting some of your weight on your ankle, the pain bringing you back to reality.  

 Your front door burst open and Sykes stood in the doorway panting, leaning on the door frame for support. Out of breath, he stumbled towards you, pulling you into a hug. 

  

‘”Holy shit..thank god your..ok.” He gasped. “Your parents...and the police...jiffy mart is trashed, you were nowhere to be found. We assumed the worst when you didn’t answer your phone.” Sykes was shaking and squeezed you tighter. 

“Sans,... was there..” You squeaked quietly. “He got me out..” 

Sykes raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Really? Where is he then? Did he leave already?” 

You looked around the room in disbelief. Sure enough Sans was gone. Your heart sank. 

You fell back into the couch, at a loss for words and all that you could manage was to bury your face into your hands and sob uncontrollably.  

On top of everything that had happened already you had messed up badly this time. Why did you kiss him? In the heat of the moment, your feelings for him had taken control, and you were unable to hold yourself back. You cried even harder, realizing how stupid you had been..and wondered if you would be able to fix it. 

“Shhhhh, it’s alright,,,everything is going to be ok.” Sykes wiped the tears off your face and hugged you tightly. You only just shook your head, and kept telling yourself the opposite. You wanted to believe your best friend, but you couldn’t. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALL ABOARD THE ANGST TRAIN
> 
> This chapter was really hard to write, but overall I am happy to have the plot moving along. It's so sad though! Get's me right in the feels every time I read it.  
> What do you guys think?


	9. Endless Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the attack on your family business.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> O_O Wow! Ok so very quick update after the last one.  
> I have just felt very compelled over the past few days to write. Basically any spare moment I get I spend doing so :3

 

Sykes immediately drove you to the hospital and your mother met up with you in the waiting area of the emergency room. Her face was tear stained, and her hair was disheveled. She embraced you, holding you tightly. 

  

“It’s alright mom..” You patted her back reassuringly. “I’m gonna be ok..” 

  

You lost track of how many times you answered the same questions as the police pressed you for details of the attack on the Jiffy Mart. Only 2 of the assailants had been caught that night, with both of them swearing up and down that Sans had attacked them first. They were only in to steal, as they put it, not hurt anyone like the creature that was with you. You told the police over and over, Sans never attacked anyone...he was only trying to defend you and himself.It was infuriating to hear them regard Sans as being violent. They chalked up the questioning to just doing their job. The officer scribbled some notes down in a pocketbook and left you to have your ankle wrapped up. 

  

As it turned out it only proved to be a bad sprain, so you would only be off your foot a few weeks at most. With a pair of crutches in tow, you made your way home with Sykes and your mother. 

  

You slept listlessly that night, caught between dreaming of the attackers, and Sans smiling face. The more you reached out to him the further he trailed away. 

  

That following morning, you lay sprawled out on the couch staring blankly at the ceiling. Your bandaged foot was propped up on a large decorative throw pillow. 

  

“He hasn’t texted me yet,,” You croaked, swiping through your messages. “Why hasn’t he texted me yet?” You continued fretting over the possibility that you may have lost a friend over your own stupidity. That’s all you and Sans were anyways right? Just good friends. 

  

“Don’t read to much into it” Sykes reassured you with a squeeze of your hand. 

  

You buried your face into your hands “I was so stupid..why did I do that??” 

  

“Do what?” Your mother called from the kitchen.  

  

“Nothing” 

  

She strolled over from the kitchen with a tray of lemonade and blueberry muffins, the kinds that pulled apart and oozed fruity goodness upon biting into it, Your mother handed you one but you shook your head. Eating was the last thing on your mind. 

  

“Your father just called me..aside from the windows being smashed and the loss of product, the broken cash register, everything else is fine. We’ll have to put a little elbow grease into getting the store back into tip top shape so we should only need a few days to clean everything up and have the new windows installed.” 

  

She paused, clasping her hands. “Though we won’t be opening until the end of next week. Your father and I talked about it and we feel it’s best to let the hype of the situation die down first. The news reporters have already started calling.” She frowned while saying this. 

  

“I-I’m sorry I’m not going to be much help through this Mom...” You muttered.  

  

“Nonsense” She told you. “You take the time to rest, leave everything to the three of us.” She threw an arm around Sykes. 

  

Your mother discussed the changes that were going to be put in measure once the Jiffy Mart opened it’s doors next week. For the time being, the store would now close it’s doors at 9pm instead of 11. Also no one would be working alone..which meant either hiring more staff or working more hours. Temporary measures until things died down. The thing you were most upset about was hearing your father asked the Nice Cream vendor to close up shop for a few weeks, for his own safety. With one of the attackers still on the loose, it was just too risky. 

  

No matter what though, Jiffy Mart would continue to serve both Monsters and humans alike. As Sykes put it, the convenient store would stand tall like a pillar in the night. You lightly smiled at his joke, though it was all you could manage. 

  

Your mother and Sykes left later that morning, after you reassured them that you would be ok by yourself for the afternoon. The store needed a desperate cleaning, Sykes promised to come by and crash on your couch that evening. You were sure your mother asked him too, though.  

  

Your phone buzzed on your lap a few times, and you checked the text. It was from Papyrus. 

  

Papyrus: Friend! Are you able to open the door? Nyeh 

  

You sat up and looked out the window, seeing Papyrus’s silhouette on the front porch. It was followed by a sharp tentative knock on the door. 

  

“Come in!” You called out to him. The doorknob jiggled around a bit. Shit. Your mother must have locked it on her way out. 

  

You propped yourself up with a crutch and hobbled over to the door, opening it. Papyrus scooped you into his arms cradling you into a hug. 

  

“Thank goodness you are ok human!” He exclaimed squeezing you tighter. You dropped your crutch in the process. 

  

You patted his back, “I’m alright Paps, but you can put me down now..hehe.” 

  

“Oh! Yes! Of course how silly of me.” He mused. Instead of putting you down right away he carried you over to the couch and set you down gently. He propped your foot once more, gingerly atop the pillow. 

  

“Is there anything I can do for you?” He asked you with concern in his eyes. “My brother came home last night, and he told me what happened so we got to work right away.” 

  

He produced a bag and began to empty it’s contents onto the coffee table. There were various Tupperware containers of different sizes and a thermos. 

  

“You cannot go without my artisan spaghetti at a time like this, He said patting one of the containers. “And Sans, stayed up most of the night making this”. He grabbed one of the smallest containers. Opening it up you peered inside. It seemed to be some sort of soggy looking quiche. 

  

“Sans made that?” You piped, trying to imagine him cooking something in the kitchen. You couldn’t. 

  

“Yes my lazy brother even sometimes cooks alongside me.” Papyrus told you. “When he has reason enough too that is. But the good thing friend is that this quiche is infused with majic! It will have you feeling better in a **Jiffy** , Nyeh heh heh.” 

  

You laughed lightly at his attempt to joke like Sans. “Paps, I don’t know what to say but thank you? You guys are fantastic!” 

  

You glanced up at the tall skeleton, and hesitated before asking 

  

“Where is Sans anyways?” 

  

“Sans?” I’m afraid he left after making the quiche last night...er, he mentioned having to clear his mind? I’m afraid Sans can be rather private sometimes.." 

  

Papyrus noted the sadness in your eyes, 

  

“But do not worry my friend! Sans will come back soon I am sure. He has a habit of sometimes leaving a few days at a time. You should hear from him soon!” 

  

You did your best to give Papyrus a cheerful smile as he continued on,  

  

“ He didn’t say much about what happened, just that the Jiffy Mart was attacked by a group of hoodlums. He thrust a fist into one of his gloved hands. “I can’t believe that, people, are capable of such truly terrible things!”A-and to see that you got hurt...” 

  

He frowned, pondering over this thought for a moment, then suddenly he sprang up. 

  

“Wait! I have it! I could guard the jiffy Mart! I could even set up some traps to entice the invaders and then WHAM! I the great Papyrus shall swoop down and CAPTURE THEM NYEH HEH HEH. They surely would never expect it!!!" 

  

Papyrus could be so sweet sometimes, and you remembered his stories that he used to work as a sentry in the underground. You patted his forearm and smiled. 

  

“We won’t need a guard Paps, but maybe in a few weeks you could apply for a job? We are going to need the extra help anyways.” 

  

His eyes grew to the size of dinner plates and he grasped you by the shoulders with the hugest grin ever. 

  

“REALLY????” 

  

“Yeah of course!” You beamed. “We could use a guy like you, to keep things in order.” 

  

"EEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" 

  

You braced yourself for yet another squeeze. 

  

“I promise, to not let you down my friend!”  

  

“Ok Paps, er just swing by sometime and I’ll help you put together a resume” 

  

He cocked his head in confusion. "Hmmm?" 

  

You know a resume? A list of your many qualifications that would make you suited for the job?” 

  

He pounded a bony hand into his fist.” Yes a resume! My resume shall be the likes of which you have never seen! But...I’m going to need a lot of paper I’m afraid...I possess just far too many talents to list on one page.” 

  

You laughed in unison with Papyrus while he Nyeh’d. You were sure your parents would love having a guy like him around, considering how polite and enthusiastic he could be. Of course, after everything died down though. 

  

You asked Papyrus to tell Sans to text you, or stop by. He told you he would tell him the second he saw his brother. 

  

Just where did he go? 

  

As you sat there alone, in the quiet of your home, you couldn’t help but think you may have ruined things for good. No matter how you felt, you had to set things straight and talk to Sans. 

  

You were just too good of friends with him and his brother. 

  

More visitors followed Papyrus later that day. Nice stopped by and gave you a basket of nice creams. The frozen treat would have you feeling better in no time. You apologized up and down to nice over the events that caused him to stop conducting business for the time being. He waved a hand, no big deal, he would rather not be the cause of more trouble for your family. 

  

Monsters were not the trouble at all. 

  

That night you immersed yourself under a pile of heavy blankets on your bed. You swiped over to your message inbox and typed out a text. 

  

You: Sans 

  

:I’m sorry 

  

You sobbed into your pillow, clutching it tightly before drifting off into a dreamless sleep. 

  

  

You were greeted the next day to a series of texts from your father. The police had called and said your story checked out, and they would not be contacting you for further questioning. You breathed a sigh of heavy relief. Thank God. 

  

Now all their was left to deal with was the barrage of news reporters calling and  asking for an interview. The story ended up making national news as one of the first attacks since Monsters emerged from the underground a few months ago. You hoped it would be the last. 

  

With each passing day your became a little more agile. The magic in the food that Papyrus brought over had you off your crutches in a few days. When you walked now, it was a barely noticeable limp. You would be back to work when it opened back up. 

  

You and Sykes were curled up on the couch three days later, watching a movie when your phone began to buzz. You snatched if off the coffee table quickly, heart pounding when you saw the notification showing who it was. Trembling you swiped the screen to open the message. 

  

Sans:Hey 

  

:we need to talk 

  

  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to have a friend like Papyrus...he's just the sweetest thing ever! Sykes too...he is just a great friend in general.
> 
> Don't worry guys..you won't have to wait long for the next chapter. A few days TOPS :)
> 
> I have a tumblr :) Come follow me into the trash bin, if you dare!
> 
> www.thejinchan.tumblr.com


	10. A Second Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Sans have a nice chit chat, nothing else >_>

  

Sykes glanced over and saw you frozen as a statue holding your phone tightly in your palm. “Hey what’s wrong?” He asked while nudging your shoulder lightly, catching a glimpse of the text on the screen. “Oh shit..”  

“Yup” 

“Ummmm did you want me to take off?” Sykes asked you awkwardly. “I can take off...no big deal.”  

You shook your head at your best friend. “Nah, you can chill..I think I’m gonna go for a walk, meet him at the park maybe..I need to get outta this house before I go crazy..err you mind hanging out in case things go south?” 

“ No problem, and...you know I always got your back no matter what..” 

You shared a reaffirming smile with Sykes. He always knew what to say. Knowing that you had a friend like him to lean on, made the uneasiness in your stomach dissipate.  

You limped over to the closet, since your foot was still feeling a little stiff and pulled out your jacket, shrugging it on. You shot Sykes a quick wave before leaving the comfort of your living room. You took in a deep breath of the chilly night air when you stepped outside. Your fingers wavered over your phone screen a moment while you mustered up the courage to text him back. 

You: Want to meet at the park down the road? There’s a large willow tree in the middle, can’t miss it. I can be there in a few minutes.” 

A few seconds go by and he replied back. 

Sans: will do 

 That was easy enough.  

You walked at a steady pace, surprised at the amount of strength that had returned to your sprained ankle. With each step the stiffness in your foot was melting away. You hugged your arms, trying not to overthink things.  

You could see the willow, even down the street from where it stood, old and gnarled, arched over from the weight of it’s own tired branches. You trumped through the overgrown grass that hadn’t been cut yet. Over the years, it had become a favorite spot for you, and you would often come here while on a walk, with a book in tow to read. Being here, made you feel slightly more comfortable. 

You took a seat on top of the rickety picnic table, and stretched out your arms behind you. The branches on the willow hung down all the way to the ground, swaying in the breeze. Their leaves caught the light wind, and they blew into your face, tickling your nose slightly. You could not stop the sneeze that followed, despite your efforts to wiggle your nose to catch it. Your eyes watered from it’s force, and you rubbed the offending tears away with the sleeve of your jacket. 

Moments later when you opened your eyes squinting in the darkness, sure enough, Sans stood before you grinning, with his hand stuffed in his pockets. You were so used to his sneaking around by now it didn’t even phase you.  

“Did ya really just sneeze on me?” He quipped, “That’s snot okay pal.” 

“That’s my revenge for you boogering off the past few days” You punned, while trying to be serious at the same time. 

Sans half smiled, half frowned, looking a little hesitant. 

“Yeah er..about that..” He trailed off. “I see your ankle is doing better? Guess that quiche helped fix you up good.” 

“It did, Thanks..”You nodded. “I would have been off my foot alot longer without it...and by the way, when did you start cooking?” You raised an eyebrow in disbelief. 

“Over the Pastability of eating Spaghetti every day.” He joked. “Even the laziest skeleton has to break his rotini sometimes.” 

“You’ve used that one before,” You teased. “The first time we met...” 

Sans just raised a brow while hopping up onto the picnic table. He threw his arms behind his skull, and laid down, closing his eyes. 

 “Just another penne for your thoughts pal.”  

“This. Converstation. Needs to pastaway.” You tried to sound serious, but your efforts were thwarted when you let out a small giggle. You couldn’t be serious around Sans, even if you tried, even when you wanted to be. 

“Not bad, seems like my humerus side is ribbing off on ya.” Sans chuckled. 

You didn’t say anything after that, and you laid there with the monster, watching the entanglement of branches dance above. The light from the moon was seeping through the cracks they created. It was entrancing. You waited for him to say something, but he didn’t. You tried to quell the thumping of your heart, but you couldn’t do that either. It was all or nothing, and you rolled to the side to face him. You gulped nervously, and tried to speak.  

“Sans, I..” You stammered. “I..I’m sorry, about what I did, and if it made things weird for you..at the time, I...just couldn’t help..it..because I..-.” 

“-Don’t” Sans interrupted, waving a bony hand. “Don’t apologize, you have nothin to be sorry for.” 

Sans covered his eyesockets with his hands and sighed. 

“I didn’t leave over..what you did per say” He mumbled. “Just after everything that happened I needed to clear my skull...not that there’s anything in it anyways riiight?” He half smiled, tapping his forehead trying his best to hide behind the pun. 

“I don’t know about that...not if you needed 3 days to clear it..” 

Sans winced. “Lookit..I messed up ok? It’s just...” 

He sat up and buried his skull into his arms. 

“You,...your one of the first humans, who showed kindness to Paps and I..” He whispered. “And because of that? Your store got trashed, you were threatened, and worst of all.. 

“You got hurt kid...and that’s not cool.” 

“That wasn’t your fault Sans..” You cried.  

Sans gave you a small worried smile. “Those assholes would have never shown up if I didn’t hang around so much..and honestly at this point I wouldn’t blame ya if you found it too much being friends.” 

You grabbed Sans hand. “Those assholes would have came if you hung around me or not...and that’s not going to happen..Sans look...I..really care about you..alot...and besides, without you, who am I going to do puzzles with? Who is going to keep me company before closing?” 

Sans pupils grew larger, and your eyes met with his, shining in the dark, 

“You really are something aren’t you?” 

“Huh?” 

“Wait” Sans hesitated. “Did I just say that out loud?” 

You smiled lightly. “You did..and for what it’s worth...your really something too.” 

“Heh, thanks..” 

The two of you sat in silence, still holding hands. You could feel the heat radiating off your face at this point. You stared at the ground while you swayed your legs back and forth over the edge of the picnic table. The fear you felt earlier that evening had gone away. Right now there was nowhere else you wanted to be. 

You froze.. as Sans squeezed your hand. 

“Hey” 

“Hmm?” 

“So uhh...I gotta ask you something.” Sans stammered.  

“I’m all ears.” 

“And I’m all bones, heh, wow is it getting hot in here or what? Feels like hotland.” Beads of sweat began to form on his brow.” 

“What is it?” You asked him in confusion.  

“Do you, think maybe..you’d want to smooch a skeleton a second time? 

“Yes” Your mouth dropped in astonishment, “Wait, what?” 

Sans blushed and his pupils went to the sides of his eyesockets.  

“I did kinda bail on the first one..thought maybe we could try agian?” 

“Absolutely” You gasped. 

 “Well what are you waiting for then?” He teased. “i’m waiting” 

 ou didn’t leave him waiting long and eagerly you wrapped your arms around him, pulling him in close until your lips met his mouth. The hesitance from the first time you kissed was all but a fleeting memory by now. Your mind was spinning, and the warmth from his mouth only caused you to part your lips open more. Sans let out a small sigh as you deepened the kiss, and he slipped his bony hands around your waist.   

After what seemed like an eternity, You both broke away. You were still holding tightly onto his hoodie, still in utter disbelief over what had just happened. But the tingling in your lips told you it wasn’t just a dream.  

‘How was that for a second smooch?” You casually asked him even though the redness in your face gave you away. 

“Mmmm not bad.” Sans smirked.  

You playfully raised an eyebrow. “Not bad?” 

Can’t say I’ve smooched many humans..nothing to compare too.” 

“Your the worst!” You stuck your tongue out at him. 

“I try” 

“Soooo, ummm” You stuttered. “You wanna head over to my place for a bit...Sykes is hanging around, we could chill?” 

“Sure.” 

You hopped off the table to see and started to head off before noticing that Sans was still sitting at the table, blush still dusted across his face.” 

“Umm, do you think maybe..we can keep this between us? I’m just thinking...if word get’s out, ya know..” 

You stepped back to Sans and gently grabbed his hand. “Don’t worry about that now ok?, We’ll cross that bridge when it comes.” 

Sans gave you a small smile, though he still seemed a little uneasy. 

You walked hand in hand with Sans until the edge of the park, and upon reaching the streetlight, he released his grasp on you. That’s when the reality of it all hit you. Just what were you getting into? Was it really worth it? What if Sans got hurt? Now you understood why after all this time he might have been hesitant to act on his feelings. 

But it was worth it, it was worth the try, even if you had to pretend it was something else. There was no going back now. 

“So..you better prepare yourself.”  

“For what pal?” Sans asked you curiously. 

“To have your ass kicked..in Mario Kart.” 

“That might be kinda hard don’t you think? Skeletons don’t exactly have asses to kick in the first place.” 

You snorted, before letting out a loud laugh, and Sans joined in. 

 “I guess that's true...but ass or not, We are going to destroy you.” 

Sans gave you a devious look and shrugged. “I’d like to see you try babe.” 

“It’s on then!” 

Sykes sprang off the couch in surprise to the sound of the door opening. You stepped in with Sans shuffling behind you. 

“Oh hey ____! And Sans?” Wazzup!” 

“Soo I’m gonna take it your talk went..well? 

You and Sans, both blushed spontaneously, in different hues. Sans had a goofy grin plastered on his face, and he was looking at his slippered feet on the floor. You only threw your jacket at Sykes. 

“I’m gonna take that as a yes, then”  

  

  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys are enjoying the ride! I know I am! :D

**Author's Note:**

> So that’s the first chapter so far! Reader is pretty excited about her new customers it seems and hopes they might become regulars. Chapter two will update on Thursday Feb 18th after 9pm sometime. :D


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